


Enduring Faith

by pichumaster101



Series: Enduring Faith [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Persona 5 Spoilers, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:54:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 52,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24093175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pichumaster101/pseuds/pichumaster101
Summary: *WILL CONTAIN PERSONA 5 ROYAL SPOLIERS* A retelling of Persona 5 Royal from the perspective of Kasumi.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Kurusu Akira/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Persona 5 Protagonist/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi
Series: Enduring Faith [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1934068
Comments: 97
Kudos: 343





	1. The Delinquent and The Honors Student

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kasumi meets someone new who will change her life forever.

**April 12th**

“Hey, isn’t that her?”

“You mean the one with the red ribbon? I think so.”

“She’s so thin. It’s no fair, I’ve got my hair in a ponytail too.”

Kasumi Yoshizawa chose to ignore that last comment. She had expected to hear rumors about herself spreading throughout Shujin considering her status as an honor student and a renowned gymnast, but she wasn’t prepared for the things she heard to be as strange as that. A few minutes later the train arrived, and she managed to find a seat.

“Next stop, Ayoma-Itchome. Next stop, Ayoma-Itchome.”

Kasumi put away her phone and noticed an elderly woman standing nearby. “Excuse me, miss. You can have this seat. My stop’s coming up.” As Kasumi stood up, a man in a suit quickly slid into the seat behind her. ‘So fast.’ Kasumi thought to herself. “Um, pardon me, but that seat was for this woman.” Kasumi politely said. However, the man had already fallen asleep.

“Do you want me to wake him up?” Came a voice from nearby. Kasumi located the speaker as a young man with fluffy black hair and glasses in a Shijin Academy uniform.

“No, it’s alright. I can understand his perspective as well.” Kasumi replied.

“Ok then.” He shrugged as he looked back at his phone.

Kasumi offered to help the woman with her bags since she was unable to get the seat for her.

Once the train arrived at the station, Kasumi handed the bags back to the woman and disembarked. She quickly scanned the station looking for the boy she saw on the train. Luckily, he was a bit taller than many of the people around, so finding him wasn’t too difficult.

“Excuse me!” She called, running to catch up to him. He turned around and saw Kasumi coming towards him.

“Do you need something?” He asked.

“I just realized that I never thanked you for your help on the train and I didn’t want to be rude to my Senpai.” Kasumi replied, bowing.

“Help? I didn’t really do much. But I suppose you’re welcome anyway. Based on your uniform you go to Shujin, too right?” The boy said.

“Mhm. That’s right.” Kasumi replied with a smile.

“Cool. Maybe we’ll see each other around.”

“That’d be nice.” Kasumi said as she said goodbye, bowing again, before heading off to school.

**April 18th**

“You see Yoshizawa-san, there are different… classes of students here, and for the sake of your future, you need to be careful who you find yourself associating with. Troublemakers and the like. People like those punks Sakamato and Amamiya you should avoid at all costs.” Shujin Academy’s PE teacher, Mr. Kamoshida told her.

“Who are they?” Kasumi asked confusedly.

“Sakamoto is a troublemaker of the highest degree. He’s responsible for the school’s track team being dissolved after he attacked me. Fortunately, he’s pretty easy to spot, a second year with short blond hair. Amamiya though, is a different story. I’m sure you’ve been hearing the rumors about another transfer student, the one with the criminal record? That’s Amamiya. He looks unassuming enough, but he’s dangerous. With that, I think we’re just about done here so let’s get you back to class.” Kamoshida said, finishing his lecture.

Kasumi got up from the table and followed Kamoshida from the room. Outside, she saw a familiar face, the boy from the train standing with a very tired looking teacher.

“Ms. Kawakami, I see you’re already dealing with the problem I brought to your attention earlier. Thanks for that.” Kamoshida said smugly.

“Thank you again for your help the other day.” Kasumi said to the boy.

“I already told you it was no big deal. Besides, I really didn’t do anything.” He replied.

Kamoshida looked surprised. “Yoshizawa-san, you know this guy? Remember our discussion from a minute ago? How there are certain students you should avoid interacting with? Well, this one’s the worst of the worst.”

“The delinquent transfer student?” Kasumi said without thinking.

The student called Amamiya smirked. “You’re going out of your way to tell people about me now, Kamoshida? I’m touched!” He spoke with mock sincerity.

“Tch. You see, this kind of behavior is exactly what I’m talking about. Good luck Ms. Kawakami.” Kamoshida said as he walked away, followed by the guidance counselor.

Kasumi went to follow them until Amamiya stopped her.

“Fair warning: watch your back around Kamoshida.” He said.

“What do you-“ Kasumi started to ask before she noticed the look in his eyes. They seemed to burn with anger and determination, but she couldn’t tell why. With that, he followed his teacher into the guidance office and disappeared.

**May 13th**

“I’m glad to hear that you’re doing so well Yoshizawa-san!” Maruki said. “Well, I think our time for today is just about up, but if you feel the need to come back, you know where to find me.”

“Thank you so much Dr. Maruki! See you!” Kasumi said as she made her way to the door.

“Hey, long time no see.” Came a familiar voice from down the hall.

“Oh, Amamiya-Senpai.” Kasumi waved at the boy. “Are you here for counseling?”

“Something like that. Apparently, I’m one of the “special cases” that the school’s decided to force into going, and I figured it’d be easier than drawing attention to myself by skipping.” Amamiya replied, clearly unhappy with the situation.

“Well, Dr. Maruki is a great therapist. I’ve actually been going to see him for a while, even before he came to Shujin.” Kasumi said.

“I’m kind of just looking to get it over with. I don’t exactly feel comfortable opening up the deepest secrets of my heart to some guy I just met, you know?” Amamiya sighed.

“I can understand that. OH! I just realized that I need to thank you again!”

“What for?” Amamiya looked confused.

“For warning me about Kamoshida. I could have become another one of his victims.” Kasumi bowed sincerely.

Amamiya shrugged. “It was just the right thing to do. I can’t stand scumbags like him.” Amamiya scowled as the memories crossed his mind. “I guess I’m gonna go get this crap over with. It was nice talking with you Yoshizawa-san.” Amamiya smiled as he said goodbye.

‘He really doesn’t seem like a bad person at all.’ Kasumi thought as she watched him leave. ‘Just another reason for me to hate rumors I guess.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This is my first fanfic, so any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated!


	2. Birth of Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kasumi strikes a deal with a new friend.

**May 30th**

“You go to Shujin, right? I heard about what happened with the abuse and everything there. Do you wanna talk about it? We can go get coffee some time.”

“No, thank you. I’m fine. If you’ll excuse me, I really need to get going.” Kasumi said politely, trying to conceal her extreme discomfort. As she tried to walk away, she suddenly felt a hand on her wrist as she was jerked back to face the man. Looking around, she saw people in the crowd around her taking notice of the situation, but they quickly went back to their own business.

“Come on, at least give me your number, in case you change your mind.”

“Please stop.” She said weakly.

“You’re hurting her.” A voice called out.

Kasumi turned and saw Amamiya standing next to her, she recognized the same angry, yet resolute look in his eyes that he wore around Kamoshida.

“Let go of her before someone gets hurt.” Amamiya said, taking a step closer to the man. He complied and Kasumi instinctually ran behind Amamiya for safety.

“I didn’t do anything wrong! I was just being friendly!” The man said.

“I think we have different ideas on what ‘friendly’ means. Get lost. Now.”

The man realized that Amamiya was serious and made a swift exit.

“Are you okay?” Amamiya turned to her, the look in his eyes softened to one of concern.

“I am now. Looks like I’m thanking you again. That man was really scary. But, why did you help me? We barely know each other after all.” Kasumi questioned.

Amamiya paused before answering. “I… couldn’t just do nothing.”

Kasumi could tell there was something he wasn’t telling her, but she decided not to press him on it. “I see. I take it you’re going to the cleanup, too?” She asked.

“Yep. It is going to suuuck. Do you want to head over there together?”

Kasumi was going to say yes, but at this moment noticed he was wearing his gym clothes and realized that she had left hers at home. “I’d love to, but I just remembered that I left my gym clothes at home. Sorry. I’ll try to find you there. We can chat more then.”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll hold you to that, though.” Amamiya laughed as he waved goodbye and headed off.

‘He really is a good guy. It’s a shame that most people won’t give him a chance.’

**\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

The cleanup had concluded, and just as Amamiya had predicted, it sucked. Kasumi decided to look for him to thank him properly for that morning. After a bit, she found him sitting on a bench where he appeared to be talking… to his bag? Kasumi decided not to question it and approached him “There you are! I was looking for you. What happened to your group?”

“They ditched me the first chance they got. Turns out, having a criminal record kind of makes making friends a challenge, who’d have guessed?” Amamiya said, joking about his own misfortune.

“About that, you don’t really seem like the type to be a criminal. In fact, every interaction I’ve had with you has led me to believe that you’re a good person. Definitely not the type to engage in smuggling, murder and, what was that last one, oh yeah, elephant tusk smuggling.”

“Ooo that’s a new one. Just so you know, I also drive without a license.” He chuckled pushing his glasses up on his nose. “If you want to join me for lunch, I can tell you the whole story.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“That’s horrible.” Was all Kasumi could think to say after hearing the circumstances that landed her new friend in Tokyo. She couldn’t help but notice how similar his incident was to her situation that morning.

“Yeah, it sucks. It’s not all bad though, I’ve met some great people so far. People who were actually willing to get to know me despite everything.” He replied.

Kasumi wondered if he counted her among that group. Just then, she noticed a little girl accidentally let go of a balloon and she immediately leapt into action, jumping off the bench, grabbing the balloon and tucking into a roll once she hit the ground. She thought she heard a cat loudly meow back from where she was sitting, but decided she imagined it. She gave the balloon back and returned to the bench.

“Sorry about that.” She said.

“A little unnecessary, don’t you think? I feel like you could have just jumped up normally and grabbed that. Are you trying to impress me?” Amamiya said with a smirk.

Kasumi felt herself blush slightly. “N-no. What are you talking about?”

“I’m just messing with you. By the way, you dropped this… Kasumi Yoshizawa.” He held out a Shujin Academy pocketbook with her name written on the front.

“Looks like you figured out my secret. Nice to officially meet you!” Kasumi said as she took the book from him. “Now that you know my first name, it’s your turn.”

“Fair enough.” He replied. “It’s Ren. Ren Amamiya. All jokes aside, your moves back there were pretty impressive.”

“Thanks! I’ve been doing gymnastics pretty much my entire life. It’s my passion.” Kasumi was thrilled to be complimented on her skills. She heard a small meow and thought she saw Ren’s gaze shift over to his bag.

“Do you think you could maybe teach me how to do that type of stuff?” Ren asked cautiously.

Kasumi was taken aback by the sudden request. “Are you interested in gymnastics, Amamiya-Senpai?”

“Not gonna lie, I don’t really know much about it, but then I saw you do that and thought, ‘Okay that was cool as shit. I want to be able to do stuff like that.’ And then I just figured I’d ask.” Ren said matter-of-factly.

She thought about his request for a minute.

“Let’s make a deal. Lately, I’ve been doing worse than usual, and I’m worried that I’m overthinking things. I’ll teach you some moves, if in return, you can give me some advice from time to time.

“Uh. Are you sure you want my help with that? I know practically nothing about gymnastics other than you flip around. I don’t think I’m the best person to ask.”

“I’m won’t ask you for any technical help. I get the feeling my problems are mostly due to stress and anxiety over… a bunch of things. All I’m asking for you to do is spend time with me. Help me take my mind off my troubles.”

“So emotional support then? I can do that.” Ren said.

“Then it’s a deal!” Kasumi happily replied. Time seemed to slow down around her for a few seconds.

“Faith, huh?” Ren mumbled under his breath as the feeling faded.

“Did you say something, Senpai?” Kasumi asked.

“Uh, nope.” Ren quickly replied.

“In that case, what do you say we get started now? We’re already in our gym clothes after all.”

“Works for me.” He said, getting up from the bench. “Let’s do this.”

“We’ll just start with some basic stretches, but don’t think I’ll go easy on you!”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I think that’s enough for today. Good work, Senpai!” Kasumi cheered.

“You know, I thought I was in good shape, but that was more tiring than I expected.” Ren said through heavy breaths.

“You’ll get used to it pretty quickly. Do you want to walk to the station together?” Kasumi asked.

“Fine by me. Let’s grab our stuff.” Ren replied.

Once they arrived at the station the two parted ways.

“See you later, Kasumi!” Ren gave her a wave and a smile as he turned to walk away, and Kasumi felt her heart skip a beat.

‘Focus, Kasumi. What’s gotten into to you?’ She thought to herself, but she couldn’t stop herself from smiling at the thought of spending more time with Ren.


	3. Rainy Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kasumi and Ren share a walk through the rain.

**June 6th**

‘Ugh, rain. The one day I forget to bring my umbrella, the sky just had to open up right as I’m leaving.’ Kasumi sighed. ‘I suppose I’ll just have to run. The station isn’t too far. Hopefully, I don’t get sick.’ Kasumi thought, resigning herself to her fate.

“You okay, Kasumi?” Came Ren’s voice from behind her.

“Oh, hi Senpai. I forgot my umbrella. Just my luck, right? Don’t worry about me, though. I’ll be fine.”

“Hold on a sec.” Ren opened his bag and began to look for something inside. Kasumi could have sworn she heard him say something about a wingman as he pulled out an umbrella. “We could always walk together, if you want.”

“You’d really share your umbrella with me?” Kasumi asked.

Ren nodded. “I wouldn’t want you getting sick on me. How else would you teach me your skills?” He said jokingly.

With that, Ren opened his umbrella and they began their walk to the station. Kasumi couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious being this close to Ren, after all, only couples shared umbrellas, right?

‘It’s fine. Not a big deal. Just two friends walking to the station together. Nothing more than that.’ She thought.

“Thanks so much for this. Prelims are coming up and it would have been really bad if I got sick now.”

“I have no idea what that is, but it sounds important.” Ren said.

“It’s the preliminary competition for gymnastics. There are two big competitions at the beginning and end of summer, and in order to participate in that, I need to be selected as my club’s representative.” Kasumi explained.

“Sounds tough. But I’m sure you’ll do great.”

“Thank you. It’s always been my dream to compete on an international level, so I need to practice as much as possible.”

“I’ll be cheering for you.” Ren said.

Kasumi noticed that they were approaching the station and felt a bit disappointed that their walk couldn’t have lasted longer.

“Thanks again for this. I’ll return the favor somehow.” Kasumi said as she bowed.

“It’s no big deal. I got to talk with you so that’s good enough for me.” Kasumi was about to respond when she heard her name.

“Isn’t that Yoshizawa?”

“I think so. So, she gets the VIP treatment at school and a boyfriend to escort her around?”

Kasumi felt herself blush a bit. “I’m sorry about that. You shouldn’t have to deal with those kinds of misunderstandings.”

“Hey, I don’t mind people thinking a cute girl like you is my girlfriend.” Ren replied, smirking. Kasumi felt her blush deepen. As she struggled to find a way to respond, her phone went off.

“Oh, it’s my dad. He’s asking if I need a ride home because it’s raining. A bit overprotective, isn’t he?

Ren shrugged. “It just shows how much he cares about you.” He turned and muttered something under his breath.

“Is everything alright, Senpai?” Kasumi asked.

“Yeah, it’s fine. Just… remembering something unpleasant. It’s no big deal though. I’ve got to get going so I’ll talk to you later, Kasumi.” He waved goodbye and left, looking solemn.

**June 8th**

A couple days had passed since Kasumi had last seen Ren, and she wanted to talk to him. She stared at her messages with him, the most recent of which was a picture he had sent of his cat wearing a funny hat, while she decided whether to text him. After a bit of deliberation, she decided to ask him to hang out.

_Kasumi:_ Are you busy, Senpai?

_Ren:_ Nah, what’s up?

_Kasumi:_ Do you want to hang out?

_Kasumi:_ I want to talk to you, and we can work on some moves together.

_Ren:_ Sounds good. Where should we meet up?  
 _Kasumi:_ Let’s meet in Inokashira Park. Don’t forget your gym clothes!

_Ren:_ Got it. See you there!

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the two finished their practice session, they decided to find a place to sit and talk for a while.

“You said you wanted to talk, well, you got me. What’d you want to talk about?” Ren asked.

“So, I told you about my recent problems with my gymnastics results, right? Ren nodded. “Well, I’ve actually been stuck in a really bad slump for the past few months. I’ve been practicing harder than ever, and yet I keep doing worse and worse. My coach told me that maybe I should take some time off and ‘think about who I really am’ but I have no idea what that means! I feel like I’ve lost my usual confidence in my abilities, but seeing how you are, I thought maybe you could help show me the way. So, I want to ask you a favor, will you keep going out with me, even if we’re not doing gymnastics?”

Ren raised an eyebrow. “Oh, so we’re ‘going out’ are we?”

“N-not like that!” Kasumi sputtered. “Can’t you be serious for once?”

“No, I cannot! But I will keep ‘going out’ with you.” Ren said, once again emphasizing the ‘going out’ part.

“Thank you so much, you’re the best, Senpai!” She exclaimed.

“Well, it’s getting a bit late, so I should probably get going.” Ren said, checking his phone. “I’ll send you some more pictures of Morgana wearing dumb hats later.

“I can’t wait.”

“See you soon!”

**July 7th**

‘What am I thinking? I haven’t even asked him if he’s free and yet here I am, having made him food. What if he already has plans today? I guess the only thing to do is to just text him.’ Kasumi thought as she pulled out her phone.

_Kasumi:_ Hello, Senpai.

_Kasumi:_ I got permission to practice in the school gym today!

_Kasumi:_ Would you like to join me?

_Ren:_ I’d love to.

Just as she went to respond, her phone glitched and shut off. ‘Ugh, this stupid thing always stops working at the worst times. I really should just get it replaced already.’ Once it came back on, she saw another text from Ren.

_Ren:_ You good?

_Kasumi:_ Sorry about that. My phone’s been weird lately.

_Kasumi:_ It just shut itself off for some reason.

_Ren:_ It’s cool. So, we’re meeting at the school gym then?

_Kasumi:_ Actually, do you want to get some food first?

_Kasumi:_ I can grab us some seats in the cafeteria.

_Ren:_ Sounds good. I’ll see you there.

_Kasumi:_ Great!

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Ever since my coach told me to take a break from my gymnastics, I’ve been trying to think of things that I’m really invested in, and I think I’ve finally found something.”

“I’m guessing that it’s cooking based on the fact that you’ve brought me food.”

“That’s right! I need to be very cautious of the nutritional values of everything I eat, so I’ve had to learn to cook healthy foods. So, I decided to try and make some for you and see what you thought.”

“Well, if want to cook for me, I’m not gonna turn down free food.” Ren joked. “Also is that all for you?” He asked, looking towards her rather large box.

“Of course. Don’t worry, I’ll burn all this off at practice later. This is actually a bit less than I normally eat.” Kasumi replied.

Ren looked surprised but moved on quickly and took a bite of his.

Kasumi looked at him expectantly, but the look on his face was certainly not the reaction she expected.

“Oh, is something wrong? Do you not like it?” Kasumi asked, disappointed.

“No, it’s fine… it’s just not what I expected.” Ren said as he tried something else. “It’s like, everything tastes the same, and the flavor doesn’t match the food, if that makes sense.”

Kasumi was confused. “Do you mind?” She asked, pointing a chopstick at his meal. Ren shook his head and moved his bento closer to her, allowing her to try some.

‘This curry taste is definitely what I was trying to achieve... I don’t understand what’s wrong…’ Kasumi thought. “That’s definitely the flavor I wanted. I tried to flavor it like curry, but maybe I shouldn’t have assumed you like that. I’m sorry! I’ll go and buy you something else if you don’t want it.” Kasumi said apologetically.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s fine. It doesn’t taste bad or anything, it’s just not the type of taste I expected from something like this.” Ren replied, continuing to eat.

‘Why do you keep messing everything up, Kasumi? You’re better than this!’ She thought to herself as the two finished their food. “I’m sorry for this, Senpai. I was really excited to see your reaction, but then I just screwed everything up.”

“Hey, you can always try again, right?” Ren reassured her.

“Thank you, Senpai. I think I’ll take you up on that offer sometime. You always seem to know just how to cheer me up whenever I get pessimistic.”

“I just thought this way I could get more of food out of you.” Ren said, laughing.

Kasumi giggled. “Now that we’re done eating, how about we continue your training?”

“Sounds good. Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! I'm going to try to keep up a consistent schedule and post a new chapter every few days like I've been doing, but if I can't do that, I'll try to have one up at least once a week. The next chapter is shaping up to be a bit of a longer one, so look forward to that!


	4. Successes and Failures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kasumi visits a café with Ren and Akechi and opens up about her past.

**July 11th**

‘I still can’t believe it. I actually got chosen as our representative. I can’t wait to tell Senpai!’ Kasumi was still in shock as she rode the train to Shibuya. ‘I want to tell him in person, should I text him or just wait until I see him next?’ Once she walked into the station square, her question was answered for her when she saw Ren walking a bit ahead of her. “Senpai!” She called to Ren. “Perfect timing. I have some good news that I’d like to report to you. I don’t want to interrupt any plans that you might have already though, so it can wait.”

“I don’t have any other plans today, so I’d love to spend some time with you today, Kasumi.” Ren said.

“Great! Let’s go find someplace to sit and talk for a while.” They were about to leave when Goro Akechi arrived.

“Oh, Amamiya-kun? And you are…”

Kasumi had only seen Akechi a few times while at the TV station her father worked at. “It’s been quite a while, Akechi-san.”

“The same goes to you, Yoshizawa-san.” Akechi said.

“You two know each other?” Ren asked.

“Only a little. Have you ever seen ‘Good Morning Japan’? My father is the director.” Kasumi said.

“I’ve come on the show as a guest a few times. That’s how I became acquainted with Yoshizawa-san.” Akechi explained. “I didn’t know you knew her as well.”

“Yeah, we met at a school event and became friends.” Ren replied. “Well, actually we’d met a couple times before that, but we didn’t talk that much until then.”

“I see. So, what were you two up to?” Akechi asked.

“I had some good news to share. We were going to go somewhere and talk, but it’s nothing secret so I’ll just tell you both. I got chosen as my club’s representative for the summer competition!” Kasumi said.

“Congratulations!” Ren said.

“Your club’s team is quite prestigious, is it not? Being chosen as their representative is quite impressive.” Akechi said.

“Thank you both! I’ll do my best to make everyone proud!”

“Ah, I have an idea. Since we’re all here, how about we go somewhere to celebrate?” Akechi said.

“That’s a great idea! What do you think, Senpai?”

“I’m down as long as Akechi’s the one paying.” Ren said, jokingly.

“Then it’s decided. Do you mind if I choose the place? There’s a nice café I know about. Especially if I’m the one paying.” Akechi said, looking at Ren.

“Sounds good to me. Also, I was joking about you paying, but if you’re offering to, I won’t turn you down.” Ren said. “You good with that, Kasumi?”

“Sounds great!”

“Then let’s be off.” Akechi said.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Yoshizawa-san, you drink hot beverages even in the summer? Akechi asked.

“I need to keep my body from getting too cold, which would interfere with my practices.” She explained.

“Covering your bases, I see.” Akechi replied.

“You say that like we can’t see the steam coming off your drink, Akechi.” Ren joked.

“Good point. I had this image that you enjoy sweet things, Akechi-san. Is that untrue?” Kasumi asked. “I could have sworn I saw you eating fried sweet bread on TV the other day.”

“Oh, that’s just a marketing strategy. Things like that are easy crowd pleasers.” Akechi said.

“You seem to have your bases covered as well, Akechi-san.”

“I don’t see the point of things like that.” Ren said.

“Well, presenting yourself in a favorable light is nothing surprising.” Akechi replied.

“True, you just never struck me as the type who’d worry too much about other’s opinion of him.” Ren countered.

“So, I’m curious. How do you two know each other?” Kasumi asked.

“Ah, I suppose we went over how we each knew you, so I guess that’s only fair.” Akechi said. “His social studies class came to a TV studio and sat in on a recording of a show I was a guest on. He was asked a question, and I found thought process to be intriguing, so after the show I approached him and asked if you could continue our discussions.” Akechi explained.

“My friends and I actually ran into him in the hallway the day before, too. He started talking about pancakes or something.” Ren said.

“One of you mentioned pancakes. Why you won’t just admit that I do not understand.”

“Well, I can definitely see how you were intrigued by Amamiya-Senpai. His way of thinking has certainly helped me out more than a few times now.” Kasumi said.

“Oh, well then. Now I’m curious about something. I want to ask you a question, the same question I first asked Amamiya-kun, and I want to see how you respond. Is that all right?” Akechi asked.

Kasumi thought about Akechi’s request for a second before deciding to go along with his little experiment. “Ask away.”

“Great. So, the question I want to ask is, what do you think of the Phantom Thieves?”

‘The Phantom Thieves? I suppose they have been pretty big news lately.’ Kasumi thought about her response. “I suppose if the Phantom Thieves really do exist, I support their desire to help others in need is a great thing, but I can’t agree with their methods.”

“Interesting. Would you mind explaining why?” Akechi asked.

“Not at all. I feel that the existence of the Phantom Thieves won’t be beneficial to society in the long run. There’s nothing wrong with leaning on others for help, but I also believe that people need to overcome their problems using their own strength. If people grow reliant on the Phantom Thieves to solve all their problems for them, then I fear that people will just stop making an effort to create change themselves.”

“Very interesting. What you’re saying is that the Phantom Thieves’ actions actually hinder a person’s growth.” Akechi said.

“Essentially, yes.” She replied.

“That’s a very interesting take on the matter. What do you think of Yoshizawa-san’s opinion?” Akechi asked, turning to Ren.

“She certainly isn’t wrong. People could very well develop a mindset that leads to an overreliance on the Phantom Thieves to solve all their issues.” Ren replied.

“Ah, so you think you should let others come to their own conclusions on the matter.” Akechi said.

“Of course. Everyone’s different, so we’ll all have different opinions on things. I’m not gonna hold it against a friend just because they think differently than me. That’s just life.” Ren shrugged.

“Amamiya-Senpai, are you a fan of the Phantom Thieves?” Kasumi asked, surprised.

Ren seemed lost in thought for a minute. “I don’t think ‘fan’ is necessarily the right term. I’d say I respect their goals. I feel like if Phantom Thieves exist, maybe they could give others the push they need to fight for justice themselves.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to start an argument. I was simply curious about your thoughts. Let’s change the subject to something a bit lighter.” Akechi said.

‘It’s starting to get late. I should head home.’ Kasumi thought. “I’m sorry, I need to head home. If I’m out too late, my parents will get worried.”

“All right then. Let’s call it a day.” Akechi said. “Good luck on your competition.”

“I’ll be rooting for you, so let me know how it goes.” Ren said.

“Got it. See you!” Kasumi said as she gathered her things and headed home.

**July 17th**

‘That may have been the worst I have ever performed. Where did I go wrong?’ Kasumi thought, wiping away her tears. ‘How am I going to tell Senpai that I failed so badly?’

“Fancy seeing you here, Kasumi.” Ren said, appearing from nowhere.

‘I guess I should figure it out quickly. I hope he doesn’t notice I’ve been crying. Just act natural, Kasumi.’

“Oh, hi Senpai… Did you come to see the stadium too?” She asked, trying to conceal her sadness.

“Yeah, I was in the area with some friends and we decided to come check it out. Are you okay? You look like you’ve been crying.” Ren replied.

‘Busted. I should have known he’d see right through me.’ She thought. “I like to come here when things get me down. But I guess that doesn’t quite answer your question…” She said trailing off. “I was going to ask you if you’d willing to join me for lunch, but if you’re here with your friends, then I don’t want to get in the way.”

“Well, we actually just split off for the day, so I’ve got nothing else planned. I’d be happy to join you.” He said.

“Oh! In that case, let’s go.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What did I just witness?” Ren asked, staring at the sheer number of plates sitting in front of Kasumi. “That was like watching a real-life version of Kirby.”

“I’m always like this after a meet, to be honest, I’d like to eat more, but if I keep going, it’ll interfere with my ability to practice.” She explained.

“So, the meet’s over then. How’d it go?” Ren asked. Kasumi just sighed. “I take that to mean that things didn’t go as planned?”

“Simply put, it was a disaster. I feel like I’m slowly getting back to normal, but my body still won’t move the way I want it to. It’s like I’m not even in my own body. At least, that’s what it feels like.”

“Do you think it’s more of a mental thing? Because you’ve been working harder than ever so I don’t see what else it could be. Maybe you just psyched yourself out because of nerves.” Ren said.

“I think that’s a big part of it. Something similar happened to me a few years ago… but back then I had someone to help me keep going.” ‘Sumire…’ Kasumi thought of her sister, but for some reason, the name didn’t feel quite right…

“I see. Who do you mean?” Ren asked. “Actually, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to I don’t want to pry if it’s a personal thing.”

“I had a younger sister. We promised each other that we’d win international gymnastics competitions together, but this spring… she died. I want to do make our dream into reality for her sake, but lately, I’ve been doubting myself so much due to how little I’ve been improving and… I don’t know how I’m going to be able to do that. And with my failure at the meet, it just feels like I’m getting further away from achieving this goal.” Kasumi said.

“It’s not over yet. You still have the meet at the end of summer, right? Think of this as an opportunity. You have the chance to look at where you went wrong and improve upon that for the future. This isn’t the end, just a new beginning.” Ren said.

“You’re right, Senpai! You just keep rescuing me, don’t you? I’m going to double down and work hard.”

“I believe in you, Kasumi. If you ever need to talk to someone, don’t hesitate to call or text me, alright?” Ren said.

“Got it.” Kasumi felt her cheeks turn pink as she looked at the small smile on Ren’s face.


	5. Blossoming Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kasumi and Ren's relationship grows closer as they spend more time together.

**July 28th**

‘I really shouldn’t bother Ren with this. I mean, I’m picking out a present for MY dad, it isn’t his problem. But what if I mess it up on my own? He probably won’t even want to help, he won’t care.’ It was her father’s birthday in a few days, and Kasumi still hadn’t bought him a gift yet. She wanted to get him a new pair of glasses but couldn’t help but get nervous about picking out the perfect pair. ‘Whenever Ren’s with me, I just feel like everything’s going to turn out right. I don’t want to bother him with something this trivial though.’ Suddenly, she felt her phone vibrate in her hand. Ren had texted her.

_Ren:_ I can do that.

‘Wait, what!?’ She looked back through their messages and realized that she had texted him asking to come shopping with her without even realizing it. ‘I guess there’s no turning back now. I should respond.’

_Kasumi:_ Thank you!!!

_Kasumi:_ The shop is in Kichijoji.

_Kasumi:_ I’ll send you the address.

_Ren:_ Got it. I’ll meet you there.

_Kasumi:_ Great! See you in a bit.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Thank you so much for coming to help me. I need to get a pair of glasses.” Kasumi explained.

“Oh, do you have bad eyesight?” Ren asked.

“A little. I usually wear contacts though because it’s easier for my gymnastics that way. They’re going to be a gift for my dad.”

“So, I suppose you wanted my advice with this? Or did you want me to model for you?” He said, pretending to flip his hair over his shoulder.

“That would be great! If you’re willing to help me out, that is.”

“No problem. I’ll be the prettiest model I can be for you.” Ren said, taking his glasses off.

“Thank you! Now, where to start? Ah! How about these?” She picked up a pair of red glasses with square lenses and Ren put them on. “Wow! You look so cool in those!”

“They aren’t bad.” Ren said.

“They’re really fashionable, and they’d help your vision too!”

“I don’t actually need glasses. I only wear them because they make me look more unassuming, which I figured would be helpful during the whole probation thing.” He replied.

“That makes sense. I do really like these though.” Kasumi said.

“But do they suit your dad?”

“Hm. I don’t think they would. Probably a bit too hip for him.” She giggled. “How about we try a few more pairs?”

“Let’s do it.”

They spent the next few minutes trying on different glasses together, complete with Ren striking poses with each new pair he put on. Kasumi was closely examining a pair when she felt a tap on her shoulder, turning around she saw Ren wearing a pair with a giant nose and fake mustache.

“Why do they even have those?” She asked once she finished laughing. “I kind of want a pair though.”

“Any luck finding a good one?” Ren asked.

“I’m having a lot of trouble deciding. I just really want to find the perfect gift.”

“Well, just trust your instincts and I’m sure he’ll love it.”

‘Trust my instincts.’ She looked at the glasses on display before picking up a pair. “I think I’ll go with these. I really can’t describe it, but they just feel perfect for my dad, you know?”

“There you go then. Let’s go buy them.”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Thanks again for coming with me.” Kasumi said once they left the store.

“No problem. I had a good time.”

“To be honest, I was feeling really anxious over this whole thing. I was so worried that I wouldn’t be able to decide, or that the decision I did make would be bad. After messing up my cooking, and then failing at the meet, I kind of expected to screw things up again.” She said.

“Everyone gets like that from time to time. It’s just a matter of not letting those thoughts get to you.”

“I think having you here with me helped out a lot. I was having so much fun that I wasn’t even thinking about the possibility of messing up. Now I think I’m starting to understand what my coach was trying to tell me when she said to ‘think about who I really am.’ It’s about discovering new sides of myself. I feel like I’m slowly starting to get my confidence back.”

“Sounds tough. But, just take it slow and we’ll work at it together.” Ren said with a smile.

Kasumi blushed a bit when he said that. ‘I don’t know if I’m supposed to feel this way. I want to perform my best, but it feels like I’d be working hard for Ren as well as myself. It’s definitely a good feeling.’ She thought. “Now then, let’s head to the park and do some training, Senpai!”

**August 10th**

“You probably weren’t expecting to meet me at the batting center, huh?” Kasumi said. She had something she wanted to try, and she needed Ren’s help.

“It’s a bit of a surprise. What exactly are you scheming?” Ren asked.

“You’ll find out. Thanks for humoring me though.” She was going to make some stuff up about how batting would be helpful training for gymnastics, but she decided to just tell the truth. “I… kind of just wanted you to come here. I want you to see me hit a home run. I remember when I was young, my dad would bring me here a lot. The other kids would get scared, but I just loved swinging the bat. I thought maybe if I could get into that mindset, it could help me get my confidence back.”

“It’s certainly worth a shot. Let’s get started.” Ren said.

“Right.” As Kasumi grabbed her bat and stepped into up to the plate, she looked back and saw Ren give her an encouraging thumbs up. She readied her stance and prepared to smash every ball that came her way… just as the first one blew right past her. ‘Whoa, were they always this fast? It’s fine, I’ll get the next one.’ As the second ball came close, she readied herself but flinched once it came close. ‘This time for sure.’ This loop repeated until the machine shot out the last ball. She had missed every single one. “Oh… it’s been a long time, so I knew I’d be at least a bit rusty, but I didn’t think I’d miss them all.”

“Don’t give up! Give it another shot!” Ren shouted at her from outside.

“Senpai! You’re right, I can’t give up.” Kasumi readied herself, calming her mind as she prepared to swing. ‘You can do this, Kasumi. Focus.’ Once the ball came close, she swung with all her strength and felt the ball connect with the bat. “I did it… Senpai, I did it!”

“Of course you did! I keep telling you to have more faith in yourself.”

“Thank you for encouraging me. I don’t think I could have done it without your help.”

“That was all you, Kasumi. I didn’t really do anything.” Ren said.

“That’s not true, Senpai. Just you being there was extremely helpful. It’s hard for me to explain, but I feel like whenever you’re around, I just feel so compelled to succeed. I’ve never felt swayed by anyone’s expectations of me before, but ever since we started hanging out, I’ve felt like working harder to live up to your expectations. Because… I want to make you proud.” Kasumi said, blushing the slightest bit.

“You want to make me proud, huh? Ren said with a smirk.

“I want you to see me at my best. But for now, I think it’s your turn to go up to bat!”

**September 11th**

Kasumi finally had a break from the intense gymnastics training of the last few days, allowing her time to enjoy herself in Hawaii. She decided to visit a nearby souvenir shop and pick up some gifts for her family. When she entered, she saw a boy with a familiar head of fluffy raven hair looking at a table of souvenirs. ‘That’s right, Ren did say that the school trip would be to Hawaii. He hasn’t noticed me. Maybe I’ll give him a little surprise.’ She crouched down slightly and quietly approached Ren from behind. “Hellooooo… SENPAI!” Kasumi shouted.

“Aloha.” Ren responded, calm as ever.

“That’s a more appropriate greeting, I suppose. Aloha, Senpai.”

“Yo dude, you find anything good?” A voice from nearby called out to Ren as two boys Kasumi didn’t recognize came from another part of the store.

“Who’s that?” Asked the taller one with blue hair. Just then two more people approached the group, two girls. One, blonde with twintails and the other a brunette.

“How’s the search coming?” Asked the brunette.

“Hm? That girl…” The blonde muttered.

Kasumi, realizing that she was the rogue element here decided to introduce herself. “I’m Yoshizawa, a first year.”

“Oh, you’re that gymnast!” The blonde girl responded.

“So, I’m guessing your training camp is here in Hawaii?” Ren asked once the group had introduced themselves to her.

“That’s right. I had some time off, so I decided to come looking for some souvenirs when I just happened to run into you, Senpai.”

“The last meet just happened and you’re already training for the next one?” Makoto asked, surprised. “That’s some dedication.”

“Well, I need to get the results I’m looking for at the next competition, so I have to work as hard as possible. We’re training with a famous coach who lives on the island. We’re working so hard, that we end up in tears most nights.” Kasumi replied.

“Your dedication is truly an inspiration. We should all learn from your example.” Yusuke said.

“Good luck at the next meet! We’ll all be rooting for you!” Ann said.

“Thank you all so much! Your kind words may be what keep me from crying tonight” Kasumi replied.

“It’s fine if you do cry though. You know what they say, ‘what doesn’t thrill ya, makes ya stronger.’ I’m gonna go pay for my stuff.” Ryuji said as they walked toward the checkout, leaving Ren and Kasumi alone again.

“Your friends seem like a fun bunch.” Kasumi said.

“Yeah, we’re a strange group, but I couldn’t ask for better friends.” Ren said, as he looked towards Ryuji and Yusuke who were messing with a giant tiki mask. “You said you’re on a break right now? How much time do you have? We’ve still got a few hours before we need to get back. If you have time, we could hang out together for a bit.”

“I don’t want to pull you away from your friends or anything.” Kasumi said.

“It’s fine. We have an 8-hour flight later, so we’ll have plenty of time around each other.”

“Well, in that case. Let’s go for a walk on the beach!”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“How’s your training coming along?” Ren asked.

“It’s going well. This time, I’m going to win and show everyone what Kasumi Yoshizawa is truly capable of! But, just in case, I also picked up this good luck charm. I didn’t buy one before the last meet.”

“I believe in you, Kasumi.”

The pair continued to talk as they walked along the shores of Hawaii until they heard someone call out to them from nearby. “Hey, you two from Japan?” Asked a food stand vendor.

“That’s right.” Kasumi said.

“How about those Phantom Thieves, huh? Crazy stuff.” She thought she saw Ren grin at that comment out of the corner of her eye. “Are you two a couple?”

Kasumi blushed at the incorrect assumption. Ren, noticing her reaction, smirked and quickly grabbed her hand. “Yes, we are.” Kasumi blushed even deeper at Ren’s lie. She felt her heart pounding in her chest, beating a mile a minute as Ren’s finger’s intertwined with her own.

“W-we’re not actually…” she muttered.

“Don’t be that way, sweetheart.” Ren teased. “She’s a bit shy.” Kasumi’s face felt as red as her hair while Ren ordered them some food from the stand. Once they had found a place to sit and eat, she was able to calm herself down.

“Why did you tell him that we were a couple, Senpai?”

Ren shrugged. “I thought it would be funny, and it was. You know, you’re cute when you get embarrassed like that. I’ll have to keep that in mind.”

Kasumi felt her face flush once again. “L-let’s just eat for now.”

Once they finished their meal, the two decided to end their time together because they needed to get back.

“You’d better let me know how your next meet goes.”

“Of course, Senpai!”

“Well, I’ll see you back home then… sweetheart.” Ren said, deciding to tease her one last time.

Kasumi blushed again. “S-stop doing that.”

“But it’s just so easy.” He said as he turned to walk away.

‘Why do I feel so strange right now? I don’t really want him to leave.’ She watched him walk away until he disappeared around a corner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I thought it was kind of dumb how you didn't get to hang out with Yoshizawa in Hawaii even though she shows up there, so I decided that I'd write a Hawaii date for her in this. As always, let me know what you thought and if there's anything you think I can do to improve this story.


	6. To Strive Towards Splendor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kasumi awakens to a mysterious power.

**October 3rd**

“What? Um, could you please repeat that?” Kasumi asked.

“Nothing’s been decided as of yet, but at the rate things are going, it’s possible that your honor status may be revoked.” Something so serious should naturally be brought to the attention of both your parents and yourself.”

‘I don’t understand. I did so much better than last time. Why is this happening?’

“I’ve been told that her results at the latest meet were quite laudable. Isn’t revoking her honor status a bit of an overreaction on the school’s part?” Maruki asked.

“I understand how you feel, but third place doesn’t exactly cut it in this case. She needs to achieve first place results in order to make her status worthwhile.”

‘Are they serious? I get that they have high expectations for me but accepting nothing short of perfection is insane! I’ll never be able to do it…’

“This is simply to maintain fairness across the entire student body. It isn’t like you’ve been expelled or anything. Another meet’s coming soon, so please try for the results the school wants to see.”

“Putting excessive expectations on her will only be to her detriment. If you place too much pressure on someone, it’s only going to make them perform worse.” Maruki said.

“That wasn’t my intention at all! I merely wanted to encourage her. Now that’s all I wanted to discuss. You’re free to go, Yoshizawa-san.”

‘I can’t believe this was happening. I was so excited to tell Amamiya-Senpai about my improvement the next time I saw him too. Now what am I going to do? I need to get myself together before I talk to him about this…’ Kasumi thought as she left. As she left the room and headed to class, she ran into the last person she wanted to see at that moment.

“Hey, Kasumi.” Ren said, smiling.

“Oh, hi Senpai. Excuse me.” She said, trying to get away before she started crying.

Ren seemed to get the hint and stepped aside, as she left, she heard him whisper something, but couldn’t make out what he said.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘Where could it have gone? I probably dropped it in the guidance office earlier. I should go check.’ Kasumi made her way back to the guidance office to look for her missing charm, but once she got there, she heard her name being mentioned.

“How did Yoshizawa-san handle the news?”

“She seemed pretty downcast. I think the news was quite a shock to her.”

“I truly hope this is what finally drives her to succeed. She needs to push herself and bring back better results soon.”

“Vice Principal, I know I’ve already told you this, but this approach will only impact her negatively. Trying to motivate her with harsh words is only going to give her more anxiety, which will not have a positive impact on her results.” Maruki said.

“Dr. Maruki, we can’t afford to simply inflate her ego. We took in those sisters to improve the school’s standing, but right now we’re only suffering for it. Not only did we lose one of them, but the other is completely worthless at the moment. Talk about a waste of effort…”

‘Worthless… a waste of effort… maybe he’s right…’ Kasumi thought as she struggled to get through the rest of the day. She decided to go the stadium in Odaiba that she always went to when she felt down. She looked at her phone once she arrived and saw she had a text from Ren.

_Ren:_ Hey, I have your good luck charm.

_Ren:_ I think you dropped it when we bumped into each other earlier.

_Ren:_ Do you wanna meet up somewhere?

She went to text him, but as usual, her phone wasn’t being cooperative, so she decided to give him a call.

“Hey, I’m guessing you got my text.” Ren said.

“Yes, thank you so much for picking it up. I was so worried when I couldn’t find it.” She replied.

“Great… where… meet …” He said, his voice breaking up.

‘Stupid thing.’ “Hello, Senpai? I’m sorry you’re breaking up. My phone is being weird again. I’m at the stadium in Odaiba, can we meet here?” She said just as her cut off the call. “Great. Just great. I hope he was able to pick up any of that conversation.” She said with a sigh. “Nothing to do now but wait and try to get this working. I can’t believe everything that’s been happening lately. Everything I’ve been doing lately has been completely worthless. I’m supposed to be _the_ Kasumi Yoshizawa, but all I’ve been doing is being a burden on Amamiya-Senpai and Dr. Maruki.”

“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” A female voice from behind said.

“Give me a second, I’ll check on the map.” Said another.

“What do you think they’re building here?”

“I think it’s some kind of research lab.”

“It’s not a lab, it’s a stadium.” She whispered to herself once the couple had left.

“Match found. Beginning navigation.” A voice from her phone said.

‘What the?’ Kasumi thought as she suddenly felt a headache strike her. She looked toward the stadium and saw a massive, shining tower jutting out from the center. “What’s happening here!? Where did this tower come from?” She wanted to stay put and figure out what was happening, but her curiosity got the better of her and she decided to head towards the tower.

Once she was inside, she was greeted with a sterile white environment. She made her way up a few flights of stairs and through a door at the top. As she continued onward, she was met with a sight she couldn’t explain. Kasumi saw a person standing in the distance. “Who’s there!?” She shouted as the unidentified person approached her. When the figure got close, she recognized the face of her sister. “Sumire!? But that’s impossible, you’re dead! How are you here?”

“I… It’s my fault… You must… Kasumi…”

A splitting pain filled Kasumi’s head, it felt like something was trying to force its way to the forefront of her mind but couldn’t, something she had forgotten, something important. She collapsed to the ground as a purple humanoid creature appeared behind the form of her sister and struck, causing her to fall and dissipate into black smoke. And then it spoke.

“…Heresy. You dare to spurn our lord’s mercy…” Suddenly, the creature transformed and shot a blast of fire at her. Kasumi thought she was about to die, but suddenly a man wearing a black tailcoat, red gloves and a white mask jumped in front of her, the fireball exploding against his back. A familiar fire burned within his steel gray eyes.

“Fuck, that hurt. Are you alright, Kasumi?” He asked, breathing heavily through the pain.

“That voice! Senpai, is that you?”

She heard an unfamiliar, high-pitched voice chime in from behind her. “Don’t be so reckless, Joker!” Said a strange… cat… thing?

“It’s your job to patch me up after I do stuff like that, Mona! You’re good at it!” Ren responded. The monster wasn’t quite prepared to let them continue this conversation.

“Accept yourself? Our lord laments the foolishness birthed from your pain.”

“What are you talking about?” She asked. Suddenly, voices started echoing from all around them. Kasumi recognized them as all the rumors spread about her throughout the year, all the insults hurled behind her back, the vice principal calling her a waste of effort. The sounds of every single negative thing she’d heard about herself over the last few months flooded her ears and she refused to listen to them a second longer. She had held back all this time, dealt with the rumors and the hatred from people who knew nothing about her, had played nice when the adults at school had treated her as nothing more than a tool, and had listened as she was called worthless by those same adults, and she was sick of it. Finally, she looked up at Ren. He had stood by her throughout everything, cared for her so much. His experiences were similar, but so much worse and yet, he had taken it all in stride and kept going no matter how hard things became. Kasumi wanted to be as strong as him. She needed to be as strong as him. It was time for her to stand on her own.

“I’ve had enough of this. You’re telling me I’m not cutting it? As if I don’t know that better than anyone! Still… I don’t care what anyone says about me. I will NOT tolerate anyone speaking ill of our dream!” She stood up and stepped around Ren. “It’s all in your best interest… Filling my life with this pressure… Demanding the results that YOU want… And now you’re all branding ME a failure! Let me remind you who you’re talking to… I am… I am… Kasumi Yoshizawa!”

Suddenly, she felt that splitting headache return, but this time, something was different. A voice spoke within her mind, one she had never heard before, but was comforting, nonetheless.

**_So adamant… Rather than accept a life in cinders…_ **

**_You’d strive towards splendor… you know the risk…_ **

**_Well, if those really are the shoes you’ve chosen…_ **

**_Then we’ll dance to the end._ **

Kasumi felt a mask appear on her face, and as if by instinct, she knew that it had to come off. As she effortlessly threw it aside, she felt power fill her entire being, as if every emotion she’d been holding back for months suddenly had been given form. Fear, sadness, anger, happiness, love; everything came flooding out as she felt herself transform, her school uniform becoming a black leotard, with a black tailcoat nigh identical to Ren’s, red gloves, stockings reaching up to her thighs and high heeled shoes. A rapier and a short-barreled rifle hung at her sides. Behind her, floating in the air was a female being with pitch black skin, a clock on her chest and slender legs that came down into blades at her feet.

**_I am thou, thou art I…_ **

**_Accept this contract… The spell cast upon you…_ **

She looked to the monster before her. “I request we have a rematch. This time, I’m going all in with Cendrillon!” She drew her sword and prepared to fight as Ren and Mona ran to her side. Even though she had never held a sword, the movements came naturally to her as she ran toward the enemy and gracefully slashed it multiple times, although it didn’t appear to hurt it that much. She retreated to her position next to Ren.

“We’ll be here all day if you fight like that. Watch and learn. **Persona!** ” He shouted, ripping off his mask as blood poured down his face and the form of a man dressed in red Victorian era clothing, red horns, black feathered angel wings and a comically tall top hat appeared behind him. “Ravage them, Arsène!” A blast of energy shot towards their foe. Once it hit, the enemy recoiled from the blow. “Try something like that.” He said as his mask rematerialized on his face.

“Got it!” She called.

“Joker, you’re still hurt! Stop showing off and deal with that first.” Mona said. “ **Persona!** ” He called out summoning his own, a broad-shouldered man with massive hands, a rapier, and very long spindly legs. “Diarama!” Green light surrounded Ren and he seemed revitalized.

“Why should I heal myself when you’re so much better at it, Mona?” Ren called. Kasumi went to attack, as another blast of fire shot towards her, but she easily dodged it. Taking her cue from Ren, Kasumi ripped her mask off and channeled her power.

“ **Dance Persona!** ” She felt Cendrillon’s power fill her again as her Persona shot a blast of golden light at the enemy, knocking it to the ground. “Now what?” She asked, looking to the more experienced fighters.

“Now’s the fun part. Take it down!” Ren shouted as he and Mona rushed in for an All-Out Attack. Kasumi followed suit and the three of them slashed at it until it dissolved into smoke. Once the adrenaline of battle faded, Kasumi was hit with a wave of exhaustion and she wanted to fall asleep right there, but she fought through it and stood up straight.

“Impressive. Awakening to a Persona is extremely draining.” Mona said.

“What was all that?” She asked.

“We’ll explain later. For now, let’s get somewhere safer.” Ren said.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘Metaverse… Palaces… Personas…’ Kasumi’s head was spinning from all the information that she had just been told. “Normally, I wouldn’t believe any of that, but after seeing everything for myself, I guess it must be true. You’re pretty good at explaining things, Morgana!”

“Um… aren’t you underreacting about something here?” Morgana asked.

“Huh? Senpai, your cat is talking!”

“There it is.” Ren said.

“I’ll let the cat thing slide this time… But just so you know, I am NOT a cat!” Morgana muttered.

“Oh… Well, since you know more about this than me, maybe I should call you Morgana-Senpai!”

“Before I forget, I have your charm.” Ren said as he pulled it out of his pocket. “You seemed really down this morning. Is everything okay?”

Kasumi sighed as she took the charm from Ren’s hand. “Well, I didn’t get the chance to tell you, but I got third place at the last meet. I’m not happy about it, but it looks like the school is even more upset. They called me into the guidance office this morning and told me that if I didn’t get first place results, they’d take away my status as an honor student.”

“That’s such bullshit! Third place isn’t even bad! I understand wanting to do better but revoking your honor status over it is just unfair!” Ren said.

“I get where they’re coming from though. I don’t think it’s an unfair consequence considering it’s due to my own inability to succeed, but what really got me was later. I overheard the vice principal talking about how I’m a useless waste of effort…”

“Are you fucking kidding!? What an asshole!” Ren practically shouted.

She felt a bit better seeing Ren get worked up for her sake. “I ended up coming here to give myself a pep talk and before I knew it, I ended up in the place we just left. I’ll be fine now though! I feel like whatever happened in there helped me get over it.”

“There’s something I’m still not sure about. How did she end up in a Palace in the first place?” Morgana asked.

“Probably the Nav. It’s been installing itself on the others’ phones. Maybe it could sense she had the potential and put itself on there.” Ren replied.

“Makes sense.” Morgana said.

“What’s this Nav?” Kasumi asked.

“Can I see your phone for a sec?” Ren asked. She pulled it out of her pocket and handed it to him, moving behind him so she could see what he was doing. “Have you dropped this a lot or something? It’s really beat up. That’s probably why you have so many problems with it.” He said while searching for something. “Here we go.” He pointed to an app she didn’t recognize. It had a red and black background with an eye symbol. “That’s the Metaverse Navigator. It’s what we use to enter the Metaverse.”

“But I never installed anything like that! How would I even know how to find it?” She asked incredulously.

“You don’t have to. It’s got some… weird magic… or something and installs itself.” Ren explained. He seemed to know more than he was letting on, but Kasumi decided not to push the issue.

“Should I delete it?”

Ren shook his head. “Don’t bother. I tried deleting it the first couple times it popped up, back before I knew what it was. It’ll just reappear within a day.”

“How does it work?”

“Every Palace has three keywords: The Palace ruler’s name, the real-world location of the Palace and a distortion, that’s essentially what the Palace ruler sees that real-world location as.” Morgana explained. “Once you’ve figured out these, you say them to enter them into the Nav, and it takes you there.”

“Is there any way to figure out who the Palace we were just in belongs to?” Kasumi asked.

“There’s a search history. Let me check.” Ren said, but just as he was about to open it, her phone shut off.

“Sorry. I really should just get a new phone.” Kasumi said, sheepishly, as Ren handed her the phone.

“It’s not a big deal. This wasn’t someone we were targeting anyway. Besides, we can’t do anything without a unanimous vote, after all.” Morgana said.

“About that… I’ve been wondering something. You guys are part of the Phantom Thieves, aren’t you?” Ren and Morgana looked at each other, having some sort of silent conversation.

“You got me.” Ren said with a smirk. “I’m the leader of the Phantom Thieves.” Kasumi thought back to her conversation at the café with Ren and Akechi.

“So that day at the café, I basically told the Phantom Thieves directly that I didn’t agree with what they were doing, huh? I am so sorry about that.”

Ren shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. I wasn’t offended or anything. Like I said then, people can come to their own conclusions, and I’m not gonna be mad at a friend over something like that.”

“Ren, I think we have another thing to discuss right now.” Morgana said with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“What are you talking about?” Ren asked.

“I’m talking about Yoshizawa. Considering how she did back there, don’t you think she’d make a fine addition to the Phantom Thieves?”

“Wait, you want me to join the Phantom Thieves?”

“We’d love to have you if you want to join. But if not, that’s your call.” Ren said.

“You don’t have to answer right here, right now. I’m sure you have a lot on your mind, and you probably want to learn more about what we’re doing.” Morgana said.

‘What do I really want to do right now? I think I just want to work hard on my gymnastics.’ “I’m sorry, but I have to decline your offer.”

“Great, so we’ll head home for now and- WAIT WHAT!?” Morgana shouted, causing Ren to burst out laughing.

“I’m sorry, but right now I just want to focus on my own goals. I don’t think it’s a good idea to join if I’m not fully invested.”

“I get it. But if you ever change your mind, offer’s open.” Ren said. “One last thing. Let’s keep today’s events here between the three of us. Sound good?” Kasumi nodded. “Great. I’m going to make you swear to the highest authority I can.” Ren had an ominous look in his eye as he raised his hand and stuck out his pinky. “Pinky promise me that you won’t tell anyone.” Kasumi giggled and locked her pinky with Ren’s to complete the promise.

“I’ll see you later, Senpai!”

“See you, Kasumi!”

Kasumi headed home with her head held high, her resolve renewed and feeling better than she had in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a lot of fun to write, so I hope you all liked it. I think I'm going to start uploading one chapter a week from here on out in order to give myself time to proofread each one after a few days to make sure everything's good before I put it up.


	7. Dancing in Starlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With newfound confidence, Kasumi dances at the school festival.

**October 12th**

“Did you hear about what happened to President Okumura?”

“Yeah, they’re saying that the Phantom Thieves killed him.”

“If that’s true, then maybe Akechi was right about them…”

Talk about the death of Kunikazu Okumura, CEO of Big Bang Burger, and the latest target of the Phantom Thieves was all anyone at school could talk about, and Kasumi wasn’t sure what to think.

‘There’s no way the Phantom Thieves really killed him. Senpai would never do something like that…would he?’ She thought back to when she had accidentally entered the Metaverse a few days before. She had seen a side of Ren that she had never expected. ‘I wouldn’t call him bloodthirsty that day, but he definitely seemed to be enjoying himself while we were fighting that Shadow.’

She had avoided watching the video that had been circulating the internet of Okumura’s death until that point, but around lunchtime, her curiosity got the better of her. It was horrifying. He suddenly stopped speaking in the middle of his press conference and clutched his chest like he was having a heart attack. His eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed onto the table before sitting up straight a few seconds later, blood pouring from his eyes and mouth. Kasumi couldn’t believe that Ren and his friends would do something like this, but she needed to put the bit of doubt in her mind to rest. She sent him a text.

_Kasumi:_ Senpai, can we talk?

_Kasumi:_ It’s fine if you can’t at the moment.

_Kasumi:_ I’m sure you’re busy with everything that’s going on…

It was a while before she got a response.

_Ren:_ I can’t right now.

_Ren:_ But I can probably make some time after school.

_Kasumi:_ That works.

_Ren:_ I’m guessing you want to talk about… recent events.

_Kasumi:_ Yeah…

_Ren:_ Meet me on the school rooftop.

_Ren:_ We can talk there without worrying about people overhearing.

_Kasumi:_ Got it.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the end of the day, Kasumi made her way up to the rooftop like Ren had asked. She sat down in a chair and waited for Ren to arrive a few minutes later where he sat across from her. After setting his bag down on a nearby desk and opening it, Morgana climbed out.

“Thank you for coming, Senpai. I really needed to talk to you.”

“I’m guessing this is about Okumura’s press conference last night?”

“Um… yes. I just really needed to ask… you… I mean the Phantom Thieves… you didn’t kill President Okumura, did you? I hate myself for doubting you, Senpai. But everyone’s talking about how the Phantom Thieves killed him and I couldn’t help but worry.” She asked cautiously.

Ren paused for a moment before taking a deep breath. “Honestly, right now we don’t really know what happened. We did everything exactly the same way as we always do, and this is the first time this has happened.”

Morgana chimed in. “As long as you leave the Palace ruler’s Shadow alive and just take their Treasure, the Palace ruler undergoes a change of heart with no mental shutdown. We didn’t kill Shadow Okumura, Ren. Someone else must have.”

“We don’t know that! We didn’t see anyone else! I can’t help but think that we just… went overboard or something while we were fighting and we killed him, even if it was just an accident. Kasumi, I’d understand if you don’t want to associate with me after this…”

Kasumi had never seen Ren like this. He always seemed so in control of every situation, but this time he seemed at a loss for what to do. “Senpai, I trust you. I don’t think you killed him. This wasn’t your fault.”

Ren smiled. “Thank you. But I still feel responsible. It was my decision to send that calling card. If someone else really did kill him, they knew exactly when to strike, and that’s on me.”

She still had one more question she wanted to ask. “During your first job as the Phantom Thieves, with Kamoshida, did you know it was possible that you’d kill him?”

Ren took another deep breath. “Yeah. We did. That first time, we had no idea what would happen. Ryuji and I wanted to do something to stop him. We tried everything that we could think of before deciding our only viable option was to use the Metaverse. Then Mona told us that he didn’t know exactly what would happen. He said that if we stole his desires, he could end up shutting down completely, effectively killing him. We decided we’d find another way. While Kamoshida was a horrible excuse for a human being, we didn’t want to kill him.” He took a shaky breath. “We hesitated, and then the very next day, Shiho Suzui tried to kill herself because of what he did. When we confronted Kamoshida about it… he didn’t even care. He had no remorse, no shame, nothing. That was when we decided to stop him. No matter the cost.” Ren’s expression softened. “Sorry to get so dark. Although, I guess that’s impossible not to do when you’re talking about whether or not you killed someone. I should go. Sorry for worrying you.” Ren stood up and picked up his bag with Morgana in it. As he reached the door into the school, he turned back to face her. “Thanks for believing in us, Kasumi. For believing in me.” He gave her a small but sincere smile and closed the door behind him.

**October 26th**

The school festival had just about ended, and Kasumi was on her way to the post-festival party when she saw Ren.  
“Senpai!” She called out as she dashed over to him. “Are you going to the party?”

“Wasn’t planning on it. I was just about to head home.”

“Oh! I was thinking, maybe we could go… together. If you want to, of course!”

“Let’s do it. It’ll be fun if I’m with you.” Ren said, smirking.

Kasumi blushed. “Great, let’s go then!”

The two made their way to the gym where the party was taking place.

The student announcer called out the school’s dance team for a performance and then called the rest of the students to dance as well.

“Come on, Senpai! Let’s go dance!” Kasumi grabbed Ren’s hand and pulled him toward the stage. She started dancing around to the beat of the music. A second later she noticed Ren impressively dancing along with her. “Nice moves, Senpai! Where did you learn to dance like that?”

“Funny story, a few weeks ago I had a dream where I was dancing and then after that, I could suddenly dance really well.” She couldn’t tell if Ren was serious. His story seemed like a joke, but the tone of his voice and look on his face gave her a different impression. The pair continued dancing together until a couple members of the dance club approached them.

“You’re Yoshizawa-san, right? The first year?” One of them asked.

“Yeah, that’s me.” She replied curiously.

“We have a favor to ask of you. Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” The dance team member leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Sounds great! I’m in.” She turned to Ren. “I’ll be right back, Senpai. They’ve asked me to help them with something. Just wait right here and watch what happens.”

“Alright, see you in a bit.” Ren said.

Kasumi skipped off, excited for what was to come. She made her way to the empty circle in middle of the gym where the dance team had been performing. She looked around and saw Ren watching her through an opening in the crowd. She smiled to herself knowing his eyes were on her and she began to dance. Once her dance had concluded, Kasumi held out her hand toward Ren, hoping he would take it and continue to dance with her. However, Ren did not. He simply looked at her with an amazed look in his eyes, as if he were completely transfixed by her dance. She wanted to dance with him but seeing him like that would have been enough for her. Suddenly, she saw a familiar blonde boy appear behind Ren. Ryuji looked at Ren and followed his gaze to Kasumi before looking back at his friend.

“What are you doing, dumbass? Get out there! I’ll hold onto Mona.” Ryuji said, taking Ren’s bag. Snapping out of his trance, Ren stepped forward and took her hand in his own.

“Shall we?” She asked with a smile.

“It’s showtime.” His voice sounded confident, but Kasumi thought she saw a hint of embarrassment flash across his face.

Ren and Kasumi were in their own little world, completely oblivious to all the whispers from the crowd around them as they danced. It didn’t matter what anyone else thought, as long as they were together, no one else existed. Their hands never parted as they pulled away and came together again, spinning as they crossed the floor time and time again. It felt like one of the fairy tales she loved so much as a child, she was a princess and he was her prince. Ren pulled her close to him as their dance concluded, staring into each other’s eyes. She wanted to stay close to him like this for a while longer, but she was pulled out of the moment by the voices of the crowd surrounding them.

“What was that about?”

“Why is Yoshizawa-san dancing with _him_ of all people?

“Are they together?”

“There’s no way. He’s a criminal, after all.”

Kasumi suddenly pulled away, her face turning pink.

“We should probably get out of here.” Ren said, gesturing to a door out of the gym.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Sorry about all that. People are definitely going to be talking about our little performance back there.” Ren said once they were alone.

“Let them talk. I decided I’m not going to let what other people say about me hold me back anymore. All those faceless voices don’t matter to me anymore, what’s important is that I had fun with you.” Kasumi replied, still blushing. “I should probably head home soon. My parents will be worried if I’m out too late.”

“Do you want me to walk you home?”

“No, I’ll be fine.”

Kasumi mentally kicked herself for that. ‘Why did you say that? He wants to walk you home! Why did you say no, Kasumi!?’

“Alright. See you, Sumi.” Ren said, looking a bit disappointed.

She was taken aback by the nickname. “Did… you just call me Sumi?”

“My bad, it just sort of happened. Sorry.” He apologized.

“Don’t apologize, I like it! I just wasn’t expecting it. See you, Senpai!”

Kasumi waved goodbye and headed home, holding onto the memory of that night and the unbridled happiness she felt as she danced hand in hand with Ren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, I wanted to add a few things that I thought should have been in the game. I always found it weird how quickly the Phantom Thieves move on from Okumura's death, and I also found it weird how Kasumi didn't mention it once. So I decided I'd give them both a little more doubt about the situation, even if it was easily gotten rid of.
> 
> When I first saw the dancing scene in Royal, I was practically screaming at my TV for Ren to go out and dance with her and was really mad that it didn't happen, so I wanted to add that here.


	8. A Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kasumi rescues Ren during a mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this chapter sooner than I thought I would and was happy with it, so I decided to upload it early. Hope you all enjoy!

**November 17th**

‘I hope Senpai is doing alright. Everyone’s turned on the Phantom Thieves so quickly.’ Kasumi thought as she stood at the door to class 2-D. ‘He probably doesn’t have much time to spare for me at the moment, but I still want to check on him.’ She opened the door and walked in just as Ren stood up from his seat by the window and started walking toward the door. “Senpai!” Her calling out to Ren prompted whispers from nearby students. The rumors about the two of them had been mostly drowned out by people’s worries over the Phantom Thieves, but no one had quite forgotten about their dance at the school festival.

“What’s up, Sumi?” Ren asked as he approached her.

“I wanted to talk with you. It’s important. Would you mind joining me for lunch?” She asked slowly, trying to find the right words to convey her meaning without drawing suspicion from the other students.

“I’d love to. He replied.

“Great! Shall we meet in the usual place?”

Ren raised an eyebrow. “We’ve talked there one time and now it’s ‘the usual place?’ But yeah, I’ll meet you there in a few.”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Thank you for coming here on such short notice.” Kasumi said once Ren and Morgana had arrived on the rooftop.

“I’ve always got time for you, Sumi.” Ren replied.

“I had something I wanted to ask you. Are you planning on continuing as the Phantom Thieves?”

“Of course we are.” Ren said, without hesitation. “Why do you ask?”

“It’s just that lately, I’ve heard nothing but negative rumors about the Phantom Thieves. Just a short time ago, everyone was cheering you on, and now they’ve turned on you completely. It’s the same thing that happened to me. They don’t know anything about you or your friends, but they’ve branded you as murderers. I know you aren’t the type to let rumors get to you, but I’m worried about you and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Ren smiled at her. “I really appreciate your concern. But we can’t stop, not yet. We still have… unfinished business and until that’s done, we aren’t either. Besides, it doesn’t matter what people think. We’re doing what’s right and that’s what’s important.”

“You don’t need to worry about us, Yoshizawa. There’s no way in hell the Phantom Thieves would ever lose.” Morgana chimed in.

“Well, I won’t try to stop you. It wouldn’t be right of me considering I turned down your offer to join. But, can we make a deal?” She asked.

Ren looked confused. “What kind of deal?”

“Once things settle down, can we go somewhere fun together, just the two of us?”

“It would be an honor, my lady.” Ren said, bowing in his seat.

Kasumi giggled. “I’m already looking forward to it! Are you free on the 19th?” Kasumi asked.

Morgana seemed surprised. “But that’s when-” Ren shot him a stern look to cut him off.

“Sorry, I can’t do the 19th.” Ren said quickly, still looking at Morgana.

Kasumi decided not to question him on what he was doing. “That’s fine. I know you’re busy. Let me know when you’re available and please promise me you won’t forget.” She reached her hand out to Ren and extended her pinky.

Ren reached out and locked his pinky with hers. “It’s a promise.” He said with a chuckle.

**November 19th**

‘Today’s the day I asked Senpai to hang out with me. He was acting really weird when I asked him about the 19th. I know it’s none of my business, but I can’t help but worry about him.’ Kasumi thought as she walked towards the station. She noticed Ren and Ryuji walking a bit ahead of her and decided to talk to them for a bit. “Hey, Amamiya-Senpai and Sakamoto-Senpai! Do you mind if I walk to the station with you?”

The two older boys looked at each other for a moment. “That should be fine.” Ren said.

“But what about the plan?” Ryuji blurted out, to which Ren responded by elbowing him.

“It’ll be fine. Sumi walking to the station with us won’t interrupt anything.”

“I don’t want to intrude if you two already have plans or anything.” Kasumi quickly said.

“It really isn’t a problem. We were just talking about our plans for this weekend.” He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “We’re gonna see a movie that just came out, and we didn’t want Morgana to get jealous because we aren’t bringing him.”

Kasumi wanted to believe him, but she the look in his eyes when he moved away from her was the same determined gaze he wore whenever he became Joker. ‘They’re definitely talking about Phantom Thief business. He must have his reasons for lying, but I don’t like this feeling.’

Once they arrived in Shibuya, Ren and Ryuji said goodbye and split off. Kasumi didn’t want to say anything out loud, so she sent a text to Ren.

_Kasumi:_ Good luck.

She wanted to tell him to be safe but deleted the message once it was typed out. She watched them walk away until they headed into the underground station. Before she even knew what she was doing, she started following them. It felt like her body moved on its own, staying out of sight but close enough to stay within earshot of Ren and Ryuji’s conversation.

“Dude, what’s up with Yoshizawa?” Ryuji asked.

“What about her?” Ren responded, confused.

“Like, does she know about everything? Because when you were talking to her, you mentioned Mona like she knew.”

Ren sighed. “Yeah, she does. But you don’t need to worry about it. We can trust her.”

“You sure? I don’t mean to be an ass, but we’re in deep shit right now. Not trying to say I expect your girlfriend to rat us out or anything, but we need to be careful.”

Kasumi felt slightly embarrassed at the girlfriend bit.

“Sumi won’t turn us in. Also, she isn’t my girlfriend. We’re just good friends.” Ren said quickly.

Ryuji grinned and put an arm around his friend. “You sure about that Renren? I remember a certain dance at a certain school festival that would beg to differ. Don’t try to say that you weren’t enjoying yourself, we all saw you, dude.

“Can we just focus on tonight’s operation for now?” Ren sputtered, looking away, his face tinged a light pink.

“Fine, but we’re finishing this conversation eventually.” Ryuji relented.

As they boarded a train headed to Yongen-Jaya, Ren and Ryuji dropped their voices and Kasumi could no longer hear them. She never took her eyes off them while she attempted to remain out of sight. Once the train rolled to a stop, Kasumi prepared to slip out as soon as the doors opened. Hiding behind a nearby trashcan, she waited for the two of them to walk out to continue her stealth mission. Following the two of them down an alley in the backstreets, she watched the two boys as they entered a small café.

‘Leblanc, coffee and curry.’ She read. ‘This must the café that Senpai said he lives in.’

Looking in through the window, she saw Ren and Ryuji have a short conversation with the man standing behind the counter and a girl with long orange hair before disappearing up the stairs, the girl following behind them. She was about to go inside but realized that would probably blow her cover because of the small size of the café’s interior. Instead, she elected to hide around a corner a bit further down the alley than the café. Not long after that, she saw Ann, Makoto and an unfamiliar girl with fluffy, light brown hair enter the café, followed a few minutes later by Goro Akechi.

‘Is Akechi-san a member of the Phantom Thieves, too? There’s no way. He must just be a customer of the café.’

A while later she saw Yusuke approaching the café. He was sweating profusely as if he had run there. Kasumi remembered that Ren had mentioned Yusuke had a tendency to get off the train a station early in order to save money. She watched the artist enter the café and about 15 minutes later, the entire group walked out. She followed them along some more train connections until eventually they ended up in front of the courthouse. Kasumi hid behind a nearby sign.

“Is everyone ready?” Ren asked. The group nodded and Kasumi could hear noises coming from his phone.

_Beginning navigation._

She felt the world shift around her, her school uniform transforming into her Metaverse attire. The minute she entered the cognitive world, a feeling of intense hostility washed over her. Ren and Morgana had told her about the security level in Palaces, but she didn’t realize a high security level would feel this way. Kasumi glanced around the sign and saw that the Phantom Thieves had already left. Looking around at her surroundings she found herself outside of a brightly colored casino.

‘Not the type of place I’d ever want to go but I guess this is a special circumstance.’ With that thought, Kasumi made her way into the casino.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Hidden in the rafters of the casino, Kasumi could tell something big was happening. The Shadows were stirring up and even she could feel the security level increasing by the second.

‘What’s happening here? I may not have much experience about the Metaverse, but this really doesn’t seem right.’ She saw the crowd below react to something above them, following their gazes, she saw Joker standing atop a chandelier. He ran across the lights hanging from the ceiling and after quickly dispatching a Shadow, he disappeared into a back room.

‘I should get to him. He might need help.’ Not wanting to get caught by the Shadows, she took a different path into the casino’s backrooms. Following the path ahead of her, she could sense a group of Shadows and a person who she guessed must be Joker. Descending a flight of steps, she saw him surrounded by Shadows.

“I’ll end this right now.” She spoke confidently as she walked into the room, drawing her sword and flinging it across the room where it buried itself in the chest of an enemy. The Shadows charged her, but she easily dodged their blows, bending backwards to shoot one with her rifle and flipped into the air to dispatch a second, before landing crouched on the floor. “My weak self relied on you so much. That ends today.” Kasumi slowly walked towards Joker, kicked her blade out of the Shadow’s chest, spun around and caught it. “Let’s do this, Senpai!”

“I was gonna say that I hope you’re not out of practice, but after that display, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.” Joker said, flashing her a grin. The pair turned to face the Shadows that had now transformed into their true forms. A bird shaped Shadow attacked Kasumi with wind magic, but she dodged it easily.

“It’s been a while since we last fought side-by-side. But this time, it’s my turn to come to your aid, Senpai! Now let’s win this!”

Joker took the initiative against their foes. He ripped his mask off and shouted **“Come!”** The form of Arsène materialized behind him. “Maeigaon!” A mass of black energy burst from the ground and surrounded the Shadows. They were injured, but still standing.

Kasumi threw her mask aside and called forth Cendrillon. **“Persona!”** She felt her Persona’s power flow through her body. “This is my soul!” She shouted as Cendrillon quickly slashed across all three of their opponents, knocking them to the floor. The pair rushed the enemies in perfect sync and attacked the Shadows until they died.  
“I think that’s the last of them.” Kasumi said once the fight had ended.

“Thanks for the assist.” Joker replied.

“Of course. I had to return the favor for when you saved me.”

“I genuinely have no clue what just happened, but I take it you’re okay?” Came a girl’s voice over some sort of communicator that Joker had.

“Yeah, I’m all good, Oracle. Proceed with the escape as planned.” Joker responded.

“Sounds good. We’ve just about made it out. We’ll be waiting for you and the treasure, Joker. Don’t get surrounded again.” Oracle said.

“Please go. I’m going to make it harder for them to track you down. You still have something you need to do as a Phantom Thief, right?” Kasumi asked.

Joker nodded.

“Then I won’t stop you. Since I’m not a member of the Phantom Thieves, I’m in no position to interfere. Just, please don’t forget the promise we made.”

“Are you going to distract the Shadows for me?” He asked.

“That was my plan, yes.”

“Then promise me you won’t do anything too reckless. Please be careful, Sumi.” He held out his hand and extended his pinky.

“You too, Senpai. Thank you for worrying about me.” Kasumi said as their red gloved fingers interlocked.

“I’ll do my best.” He said giving her another Joker grin.

**November 20th**

“To repeat, the suspect has committed suicide while in custody.”

Kasumi’s ears were ringing. ‘This isn’t real. This _can’t_ be real. This is just some horrible nightmare. I’ll wake up in the morning and everything will be fine. He will be alive and well. He’s not dead. He _is_ _not_ dead. Senpai wouldn’t die. I’ll go to school tomorrow, and he’ll be there. I’ll ask him to have lunch together and we’ll talk and laugh like we do all the time. Then, soon we’ll go somewhere together, just the two of us, and I can finally tell him… I can tell him how I…’ Her thought was cut short as tears began to streak her cheeks.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” Her father asked, looking at her with concern.

“Yeah, I-I’m fine. I just have a bit of a stomachache. I’m gonna go lay down for a bit.” She said, quickly wiping away her tears before her dad could notice. She wasn’t lying about the stomachache. She felt like she was gonna be sick after what she had just heard. No amount of optimism would change it. All she could do was hope that there had been some mistake. She continued to let her tears flow as she cried herself to sleep.


	9. The Phantom Thieves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kasumi learns the truth of Ren's death and the next stage of the Phantom Thieves plan.

**November 25th**

Kasumi felt like a zombie. Nearly a week had passed since the announcement of Ren’s death, and she had spent it almost in a trance, simply going through the motions of her daily life. When she had arrived at school on Monday, she had hoped beyond hope to see Ren standing in the hallway, waiting to show her that he was alright, but much to her displeasure, he was nowhere to be seen. Most people were talking about the suicide, but rumors about Ren returning to his hometown for some sort of family business had spread. With the timing of Ren’s sudden departure and the suicide announcement, the only conclusion that Kasumi could come to was that Ren really was dead, and the realization broke her heart.

Kasumi sat in the school’s courtyard half-heartedly eating her lunch alone.

“Yo, Yoshizawa! There you are. I’ve been lookin’ everywhere for you.” Ryuji called from the other side of the courtyard.

“Oh… Sakamoto-Senpai… how are you doing?” She asked listlessly.

“I’m fine. Can I talk to you for a sec? He asked.

Kasumi nodded.

Are you free after school today?”

“I have practice, but I should have some time right after school.”

“Cool. Mona wanted you to stop by Leblanc later.” Ryuji paused for a second. “Wait, you’ve been to Leblanc, right?”

“I think so, it’s that café in Yongen, right? The one Amamiya-Senpai lives at? I’ve only been there once.”

“That’s the one. I just needed to tell you that, so I’ll get out of your hair.”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Once the school day had ended, Kasumi decided to make her way to Leblanc.

‘I can’t imagine what Morgana-Senpai wants to see me for.’ She thought as she rode the train. After disembarking, she made her way through the backstreets to the café like she had when she had tailed Ren and Ryuji before the casino heist. Looking inside, she saw Morgana sitting on a chair by the bar, the orange haired girl from the other day crouched on a chair next to him, and the same man as before working behind the counter. She could hear their conversation as she entered.

“Are you sure it’s safe for him to be working down here? I mean what if someone from Shujin walks in?” The man behind the counter asked.

“It’ll be fine, Sojiro. I mean, no one ever comes here anyway. What are the odds that someone from Shujin will just walk in?” The girl joked.

The three inside the café turned to look at the door as the bell alerted them to Kasumi’s entrance.

“See, this is exactly what I was worried about.” Sojiro said, noticing Kasumi’s uniform.

“Nope, still fine.” The girl said.

“I’m sorry, I can leave if it isn’t a good time.” Kasumi said.

“No, stay. We called you here for a reason. Mweheheheheh.” The orange haired girl laughed.

“What are you guys talking about?” Came a familiar voice from around the corner. A boy with fluffy black hair, glasses and a white shirt with a green apron over it appeared from around the corner.

“S-senpai!? Is that really you?” Before she could even think, Kasumi ran over to him, stopping mere inches away, staring up into his eyes. “This is real, right? I’m not dreaming, am I?”

Ren smiled at her, slowly raised his right hand toward her face, and pinched her on the cheek.

“Ow, why would you do that?” She asked while rubbing the spot he pinched.

Ren shrugged. “You were worried that you were dreaming. I wanted to prove to you that this is real. Sorry, there was probably a better way to do that.”

Tears streaming down her face, Kasumi wrapped her arms around him. Ren returned the embrace and pulled her close. He smelled like coffee. “I thought you were dead. I was so scared when I heard the news about you getting arrested and then committing suicide.”

“It’s okay, Sumi. You’re not dreaming, I’m real. I’m not gonna die on you. I am so sorry for making you worry.” Ren said quietly.

“Geez, kid. You’re making girls cry now? I thought you knew better than that.” Sojiro said.

“UGH! Will you two just kiss already and get it over with!?” The other girl shouted.

“Futaba!” Sojiro said sharply.

“Shut it, you gremlin.” Ren said, jokingly, eliciting a laugh from Kasumi.

Kasumi wanted to stay close like this forever but had become cognizant of the small group watching them, and she let go, blushing furiously. “W-w-w-we’re not d-dating!” She shouted as she wiped away her tears.

Ren chuckled and gestured to a booth. “Take a seat. I owe you an explanation for all this.”

Kasumi sat down and Ren slid into the seat across from her. “What exactly happened? What was up with that news report?”

“Long story short, I faked my own death.” Ren deadpanned.

“But why though?” Kasumi asked.

“We were backed against the wall and this was our only way out.” Morgana chimed in.

“Our enemies wanted our leader dead, so we let them believe they won. Now, we turn the tables and strike back!” Futaba said.

“Enemies? Senpai, what have you all gotten yourselves into?”

Ren smiled. “You don’t need to worry about us. We’ve made it this far and everything’s worked out, this time won’t be any different.”

“Well… I’ve been doing some thinking the past few days and I’ve decided that I want to help you. Senpai, please let me fight by your side! I want to be there to protect you! I never want to feel as horrible as I did when I thought you were dead ever again.

“Sumi, are you saying that you want to join the Phantom Thieves?” He replied with a surprised expression.

She nodded.

Ren paused, looking pensive. “I’m sorry, Sumi, but I can’t let you get involved. Normally, I’d say you could join in a heartbeat but it’s too dangerous right now.”

“I can fight too! I’m strong enough to fight with you all!”

“I know that. But I’m not talking about fighting. Our enemy this time is incredibly powerful in the real world, not just the Metaverse. If we screw this up, it isn’t just us that are at risk. Anyone that they suspect has any connection to the Phantom Thieves is in danger and as it stands, you’re out of the line of fire. We’re already in danger so we don’t have a choice but to keep fighting, but right now you’re safe. Thank you for being concerned about me, but can you promise me that you’ll stay out of this?”

“Senpai, who are you up against if they’re that dangerous?” Kasumi was getting more worried by the second.

“To be honest, we don’t know yet. But they’re someone with enough pull to call for the assassination of a suspect inside a police station.” Ren replied.

“WHAT!?” Kasumi couldn’t hide just how worried she was anymore.

“Sorry, I know that’s only gonna make you more worried, but I don’t want to lie to you anymore. I felt awful about lying to you the first time. I can’t do that again.”

Kasumi could hear Futaba making kissy sounds with her mouth, causing her to blush lightly again.

“Senpai, thank you for trying to protect me. I promise I won’t get involved. But you need to promise that you’ll come back to me safely. No dying again, fake or otherwise.”

He smiled. “Don’t worry. I promise that I won’t die on you again.”

“Pinky promise.”

Ren laughed. “I guess that’s just our thing at this point. You know it was just a joke the first time, right?”

“I know, but I like it. It’s fun. I should probably get going because I still have practice today.”

The pair talked together as Ren walked her to the station, filling Kasumi with a feeling of happiness and washing away her worries.

**December 17th**

A few weeks had passed since Kasumi had learned that Ren was alive. She had decided to steer clear of him and the rest of the Phantom Thieves until things had blown over in order to fulfill her promise. She was walking through the streets of Shibuya on her way home from practice when the crowd around her suddenly stopped in reaction to the screens on the nearby buildings. The logo of the Phantom Thieves was blazoned on each and every one of them.

“Yo! What is up, everybody!” The voice was distorted, but it wasn’t enough to fully mask the boisterous voice of Ryuji Sakamoto that Kasumi had become familiar with.

“We are the ones who you all know as the Phantom Thieves.” The second voice was a bit harder for her to place.

‘Yusuke, maybe?’ She thought. She’d only heard his voice the one time, but it sounded similar enough.

“And all of us are alive and kickin’! But those shitty guys in power? They’ve been manipulatin’ information to try and hide the truth.” Ryuji spoke.

“So, before we appropriate our next target… We would like to first borrow your time!” A girl’s voice that she decided was Ann’s spoke next.

“The recent scandals of public figures, the accidents caused by psychotic breakdowns and mental shutdowns- These weren’t caused by unknown reasons. One man is behind every single instance …simply to satiate his own greed.”

“That man was afraid his crimes would be exposed and shifted the blame on us. He even manipulated the police for that.”

“We only steal the hearts of criminals. But this asshole tried to dump what he did on us. That just shows he doesn’t care about those victims at all!”

“The identity of that cowardly man is-” The video feed suddenly cut off.

‘Manipulating the police? The man behind the mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns? They weren’t kidding when the said their target was powerful.’ Kasumi thought in awe as the video resumed just as suddenly as it had stopped.

“The man behind it all is a current cabinet member, of all things. The Minister of State for Special Missions… Masayoshi Shido!” As a picture of the man in question appeared on screen.

The crowd around her reacted in shock at what they were hearing. Conversations about whether or not it was true were flying all over.

“Everything that guy says is a lie! And to prove that…”

The video shifted to a show the Phantom Thieves themselves, standing proud and defiant, ready to face off against the injustices of society. Their faces shrouded in shadow with a light beaming out from behind them. Kasumi had never seen most of the Phantom Thieves in their Metaverse attire, but she recognized Ren and Morgana standing in the center.

“Look! As you can see, all of us are alive and kickin’! I’m sure the people investigating us can tell if this is a lie or not. Shido himself will soon confess all the crimes that he’s committed. Please look forward to it, everyone!”

The screen had shifted once again, showing the picture of Shido covered in markings making fun of him and finally showed Ryuji and Joker standing side by side. “We’re not gonna sit back and watch some crook wreck this country just ‘cause of his goddamn ego! Ain’t that right… Leader?” Ryuji spoke confidently as Joker stepped forward into the light.

“Yes. Before that happens, we will take this country!” The tone of Joker’s voice perfectly matched the fire burning within his eyes.

Kasumi’s heart skipped a beat as she watched the video.

‘Senpai… I believe in you. Go out there and win this!’

_Kasumi_ : Good luck, Senpai!

_Kasumi_ : I know you can win this!

‘I don’t know if he’ll see this before he goes into battle, but I just want him to know that I’m thinking about him.’

As she rode the train home, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

_Ren_ : Thanks, Sumi.

_Ren_ : Once this is over, I’ll finally be able to make good on my promise.

_Kasumi_ : Sounds great! I’m gonna let you focus now though.

‘I wish I could be there to help, but I know Senpai can do this.’

**December 20th**

“Dude, I am _not_ looking forward to these exams.”

“At least you’ve been in school for the past month. I don’t know how I’m gonna pass.”

“Like I’ve been able to focus on school with everything that’s been going on. Besides, if you fail, at least you’ve got an excuse.”

“Sounds like business as usual for you.”

“Harsh man.”

‘How are those two this loud this early?’ Kasumi thought as she could hear Ren and Ryuji talking before she even got off the train at the Ayoma-Itchome station. As she made her way out of the station, she saw them standing near the exit to the platform.

‘I wonder if now is a good time to bring up the incident with Shido. There are a lot of people around. I suppose that hasn’t really stopped them before so it should be fine. And I could invite him to the shrine with me now, but maybe I should wait until he’s alone for that. I could always text him later… No, he’s right there. I’m sure he won’t mind it if I ask him now.’

“Amamiya-Senpai! Sakamoto-Senpai!” She called as she jogged up to them, bowing once she arrived.

“Hey, Sumi. How’s it going?” Ren said.

“Good! Thank you so much for changing Shido’s heart. Someone like that running our country would have been awful.”

“No thanks needed Yoshizawa. We were just doin’ what we had to.” Ryuji chimed in.

“Yeah, we couldn’t just let someone that horrible go, even if he wasn’t after us.” Morgana added, popping out of Ren’s bag.

“I still think you deserve it. You all did something great. You haven’t forgotten the promise we made right, Senpai?”

Ryuji raised an eyebrow. “A promise, Renren? You want me to leave so you two can have some privacy?” He said with a teasing lilt in his voice.

Kasumi was about to interject, but Ren shut him down quickly. “It’s nothing like what you’re thinking, dude. Of course I haven’t forgotten, Sumi. Did you have something in mind?”

“I did actually!” Kasumi felt a bit embarrassed asking this around others. “I was wondering if maybe you’d like to go to the shrine with me on New Year’s.” She said quickly, trying to get the words out before her nerves got the better of her.

“Sounds like fun. I’d love to take our first shrine visit of the new year with you.” Ren replied.

“It’s a date!” Kasumi gushed.

“A date, huh?” Ren teased.

She blushed. “N-not like that, Senpai…”

“Aw, wittle Renren is taking a girl to the shrine. My little buddy is growing up.” Ryuji said, pretending to wipe a tear.

“There’s no need to be jealous, Ryuji. I’m sure you’ll find someone eventually, like I have.” Ren replied, looking at Kasumi with a grin.

Her face felt like it was on fire. “Senpai! Don’t say things like that! It’ll give people the wrong idea.” She felt embarrassed hearing him say things like that, but secretly loved it.

“We should probably get going or we’re gonna be late.” Ren said.

“I’ll tell ya all about our triumphant battle against Shido!” Ryuji said.

The group headed into school, the three Phantom Thieves regaling her with what she assumed was a highly exaggerated version of what had happened to them while changing Shido’s heart.


	10. A Christmas Miracle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the sky turns red, Kasumi has a frightening experience.

**December 24th**

‘I wonder if Senpai is doing anything later. Hanging out with him tonight would be a lot of fun. I know today is usually a day for couples to, but maybe tonight I could finally take that leap…’ The final exams had come and gone, and Christmas Eve had arrived at last. Kasumi was finishing up with practice for the day when she felt something strange. She suddenly felt like she was wading through water. Looking down, she saw a strange red liquid that came up to her ankles covering the ground, structures that looked like giant bones began to grow out of the ground and the sky had turned blood red.

“What’s happening!?” She shrieked. After noticing the strange looks people were giving her, Kasumi stifled any further cries.

‘Do they not see this? How is this possible? Calm down, Kasumi. You need to think this through. It kind of feels like I’m in the Metaverse. But that can’t be right. The only way to enter the Metaverse is through the app, but I never activated it. I should take a look at it.’

She pulled out her phone to check the Meta Nav, pausing when she saw the picture on her lockscreen. The picture was a selfie of herself and a raven-haired boy with glasses at the top of the Ferris wheel in Seaside Park, one of his arms was wrapped around her shoulders and she was holding up two fingers in a ‘V’ shape, both of them were smiling happily.

‘Who… who is the boy in this picture? I feel like I’ve seen him before. He must be important to me or else this picture wouldn’t exist. Ugh, why can’t I remember him!?’ She tried to think back to everything that had happened over the past few months. It felt like a memory was pushing its way from the back of her mind, but something was blocking it from surfacing.

Kasumi’s head started to hurt. ‘I should know this! I _do_ know this! Come on, Kasumi, think! You know who this is!’ She stared at the boy in the picture, panic setting in at the thought of forgetting someone so seemingly important. Suddenly, she heard Cendrillon’s voice ring in the back of her mind.

**_Calm yourself, dear princess._ **

**_Panicking now will not help you._ **

‘Cendrillon! What’s going on? What do I do?’

**_Focus on the truth within your heart._ **

**_We both know that you could never truly forget him…_ **

Kasumi took a deep breath and looked at the picture again. For a moment, her mind remained blank until finally a name burned in her mind.

‘Ren Amamiya… Senpai…’

“It’s showtime.” Kasumi heard Ren’s voice in her mind as her memory cleared. She remembered taking his hand and dancing with him at the school festival, the sheer bliss she felt in that moment. It was like a dam had broken in her mind, all the memories of her time with Ren came pouring out. She remembered the emptiness she felt when he faked his death and feeling the weight of the world lift off her shoulders when she saw him alive and the joy and contentment she felt from simply being in his presence.

Kasumi’s eyes filled with tears. ‘How could I forget him, even for a moment? After everything we’ve been through together, how could I just forget him like that?’

She was snapped out of her thoughts by a scream from nearby.

“What is all this!?”

“What happened to the world?”

‘Are people finally starting to take notice? What took them so long?’

“Hey look up there! What’s that light?”

“Is that… the Phantom Thieves?”

Looking up at the massive bones stretching across the skyline, she saw the familiar blasts of energy caused by fighting Shadows.

‘Senpai… You and your friends are out there risking your life to protect us. I wish I could do something to help, but I can’t even get to you right now… But I believe in you. If anyone can stop whatever this is, you can, Senpai.’

Kasumi watched the fighting as best she could until the Phantom Thieves eventually disappeared into a massive building that looked like a colosseum. Eventually, an earthquake ripped through the ground as the walls of the colosseum began to open, revealing a massive, metallic entity floating high in the air. It began to speak in a deep, booming voice

**I am the administrator born of the collective human unconscious.**

**The god of control, Yaldabaoth.**

‘God of control? Are they going to fight a god!?’ Kasumi thought and she felt her heart sink. ‘Do they even have a chance? No, I can’t think like that. I need to hold out hope that they can win.’

She heard screams coming from around her. When she glanced around, she saw something horrifying. People were disappearing in puffs of smoke like a Shadow when it was defeated. The streets of Shibuya descended into chaos. Panic ensued as people continued to disappear. More red liquid that seemed to be blood began to rain from the sky. The shouting around her continued.

“Someone… someone just disappeared!”

“What the hell!? What’s going on!?”

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded from the screens around the city.

“And we’ll definitely… definitely…! Take the world!”

‘Morgana-Senpai?’ Kasumi looked up at the screens and saw the logo of the Phantom Thieves faintly shining through the static. ‘They’re still fighting…’

She heard voices mumbling about the Phantom Thieves’ fight, a glimmer of hope emerging in some voices while others continued to despair.

“Take it down, Phantom Thieves!” A blue-haired boy wearing a Shujin Academy uniform shouted from nearby, his fist held triumphantly in the air. He looked around incredulously at the crowd staring at him. “Come on, why do you think they’ve risked their lives all this time!? Dammit, you guys! Snap out of it! When will you stop running from the truth!?”

Kasumi was about to call out in support, but the crowd had erupted in cheers for the Phantom Thieves before she could even open her mouth. She allowed her voice to join the roar of the masses around her.

“You can’t give up! I will never forgive you if you lose, Senpai! Keep fighting!”

‘I can’t be there to fight at your side, but I can do this. I’ll give you all of my power and keep cheering you on until my voice gives out if that’s what it takes!’ She thought as she continued to cheer her lungs out in support.

As the cheers of the crowd continued, a powerful light began to shine from the tower the Phantom Thieves were fighting on and shooting stairs began to fall from the sky. Rumbling thunder began to shake the world, the clouds parted and a six-winged demon as big as a skyscraper descended from the heavens.

‘No way… is this Senpai’s power?’ Kasumi wasn’t sure how she knew, but something told her that Joker had called forth this Persona.

Kasumi stared in awe along with the rest of the crowd as Joker’s voice came booming through the screens.

“ **Pillage him, Satanael!** ” Satanael raised its arm and a gigantic rifle materialized in its hand, pointed directly at the false god’s face.

“ **Begone!** ” Joker’s voice came once more as a bullet ripped through the air, tearing straight through the god of control’s head and dissipate into particles of light.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In what seemed like an instant, everything had gone back to normal. All traces of the Metaverse seemed to have vanished, and people had even stopped discussing the events that had just occurred.

‘What just happened? The last thing I remember was seeing the Phantom Thieves winning their fight and now I’m here.’ Kasumi noticed that night had fallen. ‘When did this happen? I swear it was early evening during the fight.’

“Boo!” She was shocked out of her thoughts by a voice from behind and a pair of hands gently lain on her shoulders. She shrieked and jumped up slightly. Turning around, Kasumi saw Ren standing behind her with a sheepish look on his face.

“Don’t scare me like that, Senpai!” She said once she calmed down.

“Sorry, I saw you with your back turned and I couldn’t resist.”

“So, what is Mr. World Saving Hero up to now? Have any plans this Christmas Eve?”

“Not at the moment but that could change.”

“Is there anyone in particular you were thinking of spending some time with?” She asked coyly.

Ren scratched his chin like he was thinking. “Well, there is one girl I was thinking of meeting up with. Maybe you know her. She has red hair, she’s a gymnast and…” He leaned in close and whispered in her ear. “She has the most adorable blush whenever she gets embarrassed. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m talking about you.”

“I’d love to, but are you sure you want to spend time with me?” She asked.

“Of course I do Sumi.”

She lowered her gaze. “I’m glad. I wanted to talk to you about something that happened earlier.”

“Let’s go to Leblanc, then. You can try some of my coffee.”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“It’s delicious, Senpai.” Kasumi said as she took a sip of the coffee Ren had made for her.

He sat down on a stool next to her. “Thanks. I’ve had a lot of practice these past few months. What was it that you wanted me to talk about?”

“It’s about what happened earlier. When the sky turned red. What exactly was all that?”

Ren took a deep breath. “For a short time, the Metaverse fused with reality. It was caused by that thing we fought, Yaldabaoth. In the end, we erased the Metaverse completely.”

“There’s something that really bothered me. It was pretty soon after it all started. I… I looked at a picture of you and I… couldn’t remember who you were.” Tears welled in her eyes as she remembered how she felt in that moment. “I forgot all our time together, everything you’ve done for me, I couldn’t even remember your name!”

“Calm down Sumi. It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault.” Ren said as he took her hand. “The god of control tried to erase the Phantom Thieves by removing us from the cognition of the masses. You remembered who I was quickly, right?” Kasumi just nodded. “And that’s the reason we’re still alive. That’s why we won. People like you who never really forgot about us. Sumi, you saved me. Thank you.”

She blushed. “I really didn’t do much compared to you, Senpai. You fought a god and won! It’s like you just keep becoming more and more amazing with everything you do. How am I supposed to impress you if you keep doing things like that?” She said with a giggle.

They continued to talk until it got late and Ren walked her to the station.

“You’re gonna be alright getting home from here, right? Ren asked.

“Who do you take me for, Senpai? Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” Kasumi replied with a grin.

“Alright, just let me know when you get back, it is pretty late. I’ll see you soon, Sumi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has probably been the hardest one for me to write so far, simply because I wasn't sure how I should handle it. But, I think it turned out pretty good so I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you thought!


	11. The Eleventh Hour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kasumi and Ren celebrate the New Year

**December 31st**

“Thank you for inviting me. Although, I admit I feel a bit like I’m intruding…” It was New Year’s Eve and Kasumi sat at the bar of Leblanc to celebrate with Ren and the rest of the Phantom Thieves.

“There’s no need for modesty. After all we’ve been through, there are no strangers here.” Yusuke said.

“Yeah! You really helped Ren out, too!" Ann chimed in.

“In that case, I’ll accept your offer."

“Yo, I really can’t stop starin’ at that thing you’re wearing.” Ryuji said looking at the strange scarf Yusuke had.

“Yeah, where did you find that thing, dude?” Ren chuckled.

“I see it has caught your eyes as well. I noticed it while walking through the city earlier and decided to buy it as an end of the year present for myself. What do you think?” Yusuke asked.

“It’s very… unique. Definitely not my style, but it’s very you, Yusuke.” Ren replied.

“I don’t think anyone other than you could pull it off, Kitagawa-Senpai.” Kasumi added.

“The fashion chat is fine and all, but if you don’t eat that soba soon, it’s gonna get soggy.” Sojiro said.

“Ah! My apologies. Thank you for the food.” Yusuke said.

With that they all began to eat. The noodles were delicious, and Kasumi was quickly eating hers. When she was almost finished, Ren leaned over and whispered to her.

“I made sure Boss made extra, so there’s more if you want some.”

“You didn’t have to do that, Senpai!”

“You’re right. I did it because I wanted to.” Ren smirked.

“Thank you, Senpai.” Ren returned to his food. “Sakura-san, you made these noodles yourself, right? They’re amazing! You could open your own soba restaurant!”

“Aw thanks. I made a little too much, so if anyone wants a refill…” Sojiro started.

“Seconds please!” Kasumi raised her hand.

“How fast do you eat!?” Morgana asked.

“You eat a lot more than I assumed you do Yoshizawa-san.” Haru stated.

“Her stomach’s bottomless. I swear her stomach has a pocket dimension inside it or something.” Ren joked.

“Seriously? While being that thin!?” Ann said.

“Senpai, don’t kid them so much. My appetite’s totally normal.” Kasumi replied.

Ren said nothing, but simply gave her a look that said he thought otherwise.

The news report on the TV made an announcement that the Prosecutor’s Office would be moving to prosecute Shido for his crimes, causing Sae to chime in.

“This case is all thanks to a certain man’s testimony. But I can at least share this one piece of good news with you. The woman involved in Amamiya-kun’s false charge case has finally come forward and provided her testimony. I can’t say for certain yet, but his criminal record may very well be overturned.”

Everyone was shocked, but quickly erupted in cheers.

“For real!?” Ryuji said.

“That’s wonderful!” Came Haru’s voice.

“Congratulations, Senpai!” Kasumi felt happy, but when she looked at Ren, he seemed strangely confused.

“What great news, Ren! Looks like we really will be having a happy new year.” Sojiro said, placing a hand on Ren’s shoulder.

“This is incredible! It’s an actual, real-life good ending!” Futaba cheered.

“Y-yeah. Thanks everyone.” Ren spoke slowly.

Kasumi could tell that something was off, so she whispered to him. “Senpai, are you alright? You seem strange. Do you want to talk?”

Ren smiled. “That sounds good actually. Let’s take a walk.”

The pair told the rest of the group that and went to leave as a chorus of ‘Ooooooooooo’s’ rose from the Phantom Thieves.

“How old are you guys, again?” Ren asked, laughing. “Let’s go, Sumi.”

“Your reaction to the news about your guilty verdict being overturned was very… unexpected. It was like you didn’t seem happy about it at all.” Kasumi asked.

“It’s not that I’m not happy about the possibility, but something about the situation feels… off. Like, everything’s been going so well lately that it just doesn’t seem right. Not that it isn’t a good thing, it's just that my luck isn’t normally this good, you know. I guess I’m kind of just waiting for the moment when everything comes crashing back down.” Ren sighed.

“Isn’t that a bit pessimistic, Senpai? Think of it as good karma for everything you’ve done. Maybe you should stop worrying about it and enjoy it while it lasts. After everything you’ve been through, you deserve to let yourself be happy.” Kasumi smiled at him.

“Maybe you’re right. I should enjoy the moment.” He said, flashing her his signature grin. “After all, I’m always happy when I’m with you.”

She blushed. “Senpai… I’m always happy with you too.”

“We should probably head back soon or else the others might start getting ideas. But, let’s wait a little while longer. Just the two of us.”

**January 1st**

‘Today’s finally the day that Senpai and I are going to the shrine together! What should I wish for? And why do I feel so nervous? I hope there aren’t too many people there… Wait, what if he forgot!? Maybe I should call him…’ The new year had finally come, and Kasumi could feel her nerves mounting. Her thoughts ran wild as she got ready for the day. ‘What am I thinking!? We haven’t even agreed on a time to meet yet!’ She pulled out her phone and called Ren. The phone rang twice before he picked up.

“Hello?” Ren’s somewhat groggy voice came over the line.

“Good morning, Senpai! Were you still asleep?”

“Yeah, but I’m awake now.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up!” She apologized.

“Don’t worry about it, I can think of worse ways to wake up than to the sound of your voice.” Even over the phone, Kasumi could tell that he was smirking.

“Well, if you’re awake enough to tease me, then I suppose I shouldn’t feel awkward about asking this. Remember promising me that we’d go to the shrine together on New Year’s Day?”

“How could I forget? I’m glad I can finally fulfill it.”

“Great! It’ll probably be really busy today, but it shouldn’t be too bad in the afternoon. Shall we meet up there around noon?”

“I’m already looking forward to it. See you there.”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kasumi stood outside of Meiji Shrine waiting for Ren when she felt her phone buzz.

 _Ren:_ Just got here.

 _Kasumi:_ I’m at the torii!

Looking up, she could see Ren in the distance.

“Senpai! She called out and ran over, feeling strangely embarrassed when she arrived. “Um, do I look weird?”

Ren shook his head. “Not at all. You look amazing.”

“Don’t say things like that, Senpai! It’s embarrassing.”

Ren smirked. “No need to be embarrassed, I’m only speaking the truth.”

“W-why don’t we get inside?” She said, a light dusting of pink on her cheeks.

The pair entered the shrine, gave their offerings and prayed.

“There aren’t many people here at all.” Kasumi wondered.

“Maybe people came earlier? It’s kind of nice that we don’t have to worry about crowds though.” Ren said.

A familiar set of voices came from behind them.

“Man, the end of the year was only a few hours ago.”

Believe it or don’t, only 364 days until the next one!”

“That _is_ true but…”

“I know I’m gonna use the wrong year for a while.

“I have an idea, New Year’s party tonight to help switch gears?”

Seeing the Phantom Thieves approach, Ren and Kasumi walked to meet them.

“How many coincidences can there be in one day?” Haru asked jovially.

“And a good morn unto you all! I haven’t seen you in absolute ages!” Futaba said.

Ann laughed. “We were just hanging out yesterday!”

“I guess we all had plans to drop by here first thing today, huh?” Ryuji mused.

“That would explain what led us to the shrine, but to this spot at the exact same time? Talk about incredible happenstance.” Makoto said.

Indeed- but, due to this fortuitous turn of fate… I am able to witness this mesmerizing sight… Truly the embodiment of Japanese beauty.” Yusuke said, framing the girls with his fingers.

“So, what are you all doing after this? If we’ve got the time for it, why don’t we grab somethin’ to eat together?” Ryuji asked.

“I’m sorry, I’ll be heading out with my family once we’re finished here.” Makoto replied.

“I have somewhere to be as well.” Yusuke said.

“Me too- I’ll be dining with my father somewhere.” Haru said.

Ren looked at her quizzically. “Huh?”

“I’m gonna hit up some New Year’s sales with my mom.” Futaba cut in.

“Wait what?” Ren looked even more confused.

“Welp, looks like you’re all busy… Then maybe I should hit up the track team and see what they’re up to.” Ryuji said.

“The track team? What are you talking about?” Ren’s confusion seemed to grow by the second.

The Phantom Thieves looked at Ren with concern.

“Dude, are you feelin’ alright?” Ryuji asked.

“Yeah, Ren, you’re acting really weird.” Ann said.

“Did you get enough sleep last night?” Makoto asked.

“That must be it. Don’t worry about it, I’m fine.” Ren replied quickly trying to cover his tracks.

“Well, I guess we’ll just go do our own thing then.” Ann said as the group split up, leaving Kasumi alone with Ren.

“Senpai, are you sure you’re ok? She asked.

“I’m fine. It’s everyone else that I’m worried about, they were saying things that shouldn’t be possible. But maybe I’m just imagining things.”

Kasumi still felt worried, but before she could voice her concerns, her phone rang.

“Excuse me for a minute. Oh, it’s from my dad. He’s saying some relatives have come over and he wants me to come home and spend some time with them. He came all the way out to the station to get me… my family’s kind of serious about their get-togethers.”

“Well, we still have the rest of winter break. We’ll hang out again soon.”

After arriving at the station, Kasumi noticed her dad waiting for her and called him over.

“You should hold onto your sleeve. This is your dress kimono after all.” He said as he looked over to Ren. “Who’s this? I believe this is our first time meeting.”

“This is Amamiya-Senpai. The one I told you about before? My senpai who’s done so much for me.”

“Ah, so you’re Amamiya-kun. My daughter talks about you all the time.”

Ren raised an eyebrow and looked at her. “Oh, does she now?”

“Dad! N-not all the time!”

“Is that not so? We should probably get going. It was nice meeting you, Amamiya-kun.” Her father said, holding his hand out to Ren.

“Nice to meet you too, sir.” Ren replied as he returned the handshake.

“Well, let’s get going, Sumire.”

‘W-what? Did dad just call me Sumire? But why? It was probably just a slip of the tongue is all… He was probably just thinking of her and called me the wrong name. That has to be it. The fact that I dyed my hair couldn’t have helped the matter either. Wait, did I dye it? I must have… but I can’t remember the last time I redid the dye…’

Kasumi followed her father back home, so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice that she had left without saying goodbye to Ren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was another fairly short chapter, but the next one is the big one, so it'll be longer. As usual, I hope you all enjoyed!


	12. The Stroke of Midnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth of Kasumi's past is revealed.

**January 2nd**

Kasumi didn’t understand what she was seeing. She had been unable to get her mind off of yesterday’s events and had decided to go to the stadium in Odaiba to be alone and sort out her thoughts. However, when she arrived, an unexpected sight awaited her. The first Palace she had ever entered stood in the middle of the construction site.

‘How is this here? I thought the Metaverse was gone… But even if it wasn’t erased, this Palace shouldn’t be here in reality! I should call Senpai he might have a better idea of what’s going on.’

Ren was quite a bit slower to answer the phone than usual.

“Hey, Sumi. What’s up?”

“Hi Senpai. I’m in Odaiba right now and… uh… Um, I don’t really understand what I’m seeing, so I’m just going to describe it like I see it. It’s really faint, but I can see that Palace, the one we ended up in back in October.”

“That shouldn’t be possible. For multiple reasons. It’s at the stadium that’s being built there, right?”

“That’s right. I know this is sudden, but do you mind coming over here?”

“Not at all. Wait there, we’ll be there soon.”

“Got it.” Kasumi hung up the phone and looked up at the faint outline of the Palace.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About 20 minutes after their phone call, Ren arrived with Goro Akechi in tow.

“Senpai! And… Akechi-san?” She called, confusion mounting at Akechi’s presence.

“We just happened to be together when you called. First a dead woman returns and now a Palace appears… how intriguing.” Akechi mused.

“You know about Palaces, Akechi-san?” She asked.

“Would it help you to grasp the situation if I told you that I have the same powers that he has?” Akechi responded, looking at Ren.

“Really!? Does that mean you’re also…”

Ren cut her off. “No. _He’s_ not a member of the Phantom Thieves.” He said darkly.

“Moving on. Since you’ve already grasped the concept, it’s clear to me that you’re a Persona user as well.”

“Yes, I can use a persona as well. I’m not part of the Phantom Thieves either, though… I just so happened to slip into this Palace with Amamiya-Senpai and Morgana-Senpai a while ago. But why did it appear now?”

“Considering nobody else is making a scene about it, I assume others aren’t able to see it. Or they see it, but it doesn’t evoke any real reaction in them…” Akechi said.

“Yes, that’s exactly it! I asked some other people in the area and no one seemed to care about its appearance!” She said.

“Well, there’s no point in simply talking about it out here. The only way we’re gonna find any answers is by going in.” Ren said.

“Agreed. But there’s a slight problem, wouldn’t you say? Do we even have the means to enter?” Akechi asked as he pulled out his phone. “Oh, it’s… I thought it was gone for good, but it looks like we’ve regained access to the Nav.”

Kasumi pulled her phone out as well and saw the Nav app right where it was before, only now it was colored black and white instead of the usual black and red. “I have it as well.”

“That should make the next part easy. We should be able to enter the Palace from the search history on yours. We can also find out who this place belongs to.” Ren said.

“Search history… how do I check…” She fiddled with the app until she got a result. “Ah! There’s one search in the log but for some reason the name section is blank.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Ren asked as he moved to look over her shoulder.

“The name portion of the entry has been censored somehow… Could this be the doing of the Palace’s ruler?” Akechi said.

“Does this mean we can’t enter the Palace?” Kasumi asked.

“We should be fine. It’s already in your search history, after all.” Ren replied.

“If you’re going in, can I come with you? Something’s been bothering me ever since we first entered. I can’t put my finger on it though. I promise I won’t slow you down.” She asked.

Akechi looked at Ren. “What’s your call?”

“We don’t know how strong the Shadows in there are, so having some additional firepower would be helpful. I saw we take her with us.” Ren said.

“All right. Let’s do it.” Akechi said.

“Now that I’m getting a second look, I’m realizing just how mysterious this place is. What could this building even be?” Kasumi asked once they entered.

“It depends on what the Palace’s ruler thinks of the place. I suspect we’ll find out more by going further in.” Akechi said.

“Is that so? By the way, um… I’m not really sure how to put it…” She said, taking in Akechi’s Metaverse attire. It didn’t fit at all with her perception of him. He’d always come off as kind and friendly, but his clothes consisted of dark blue and black stripes, a black helmet and mask with pointed edges as well as a tattered cloak.

“You’re wearing that one, then? Does that mean you’re cutting the bullshit, Crow?” Joker asked.

“You mean this old thing? Yoshizawa-san aside, I see no reason for me to uphold the pretense of a righteous, sincere Detective Prince. Enough chatting. Let’s move out.” Crow said.

The group entered the Palace but didn’t get very far before a Shadow appeared before them.

“Those guises… you aren’t among those who desire salvation.” The Shadow spoke.

“We have business here. Either take us to your ruler or get out of the way.” Joker said.

“Leave. You are unwanted intruders. Do not disturb our lord’s research- this world’s salvation.” It continued.

“The language of a Shadow is a hint into its ruler’s ideology… This one sounds rather cultish, for example. Sorry, but we’re going to pass through there now. We don’t have time to waste on peons like yourself.” Crow said.

“Why do you willingly strive for self-suffering?” Why are you reaching out to your own pain?”

The Shadow transformed into a humanoid figure with a white, featureless head, black clothing and a scythe.

Crow looked over to her. “Yoshizawa-san, you can do this, right?”

“Y-yes... Ready whenever.”

An identical Shadow appeared next to the first one.

“Look at this scum pile up. Fine by me… Time for a bloodbath! Let’s obliterate them!” Crow growled.

“ **Come, Loki!** ” Crow screamed, ripping off his mask. A humanoid creature with black and white stripes like a zebra, horns and long braided hair sitting atop a sword. “ **Megidolaon!** ” A blast of Almighty energy shot from Loki, instantly vaporizing the two Shadows. “Hm. That was far too easy. It was barely even enjoyable.”

“Um…” Kasumi wasn’t sure what to make of Akechi’s wild shifts in personality.

“Yoshizawa-san?” Crow asked, seemingly daring her to continue her thought.

U-uh, yes! So that Shadow said something about research. And something about pain…”

“Sounds pretty similar to what they were spouting off about last time we were here…” Joker said.

“It mentioned something about salvation as well- all this seems to indicate that the Palace’s ruler isn’t in his or her right mind. Oh?” Crow picked something up off the ground. “I seem to have found a map of this place. Let’s make good use of it.”

“Um… I’ve only exchanged pleasantries with Akechi-san… Would you say this is how he normally is? Like, a, ah… ruthless sort of person?” Kasumi asked quietly, leaning towards Joker so Akechi couldn’t hear her.

“That’s just everyday Akechi.” Joker deadpanned, not even trying to keep his voice down.

“Let’s save the idle chatter and keep moving. Unless teaming up with a ‘ruthless sort of person’ is too much for you to handle.” Crow said.

“Um, let’s do that.” She replied but kept her distance from Akechi whenever possible.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The trio had made been making steady progress through the mysterious Palace, easily eliminating every Shadow that crossed their path. Every time she fought at Ren’s side, she was blown away by just how strong he was, but she was quite surprised by Akechi’s ability to keep pace with him. They had just entered a large circular room when they heard the sound of a man crying.

“That voice…” Kasumi muttered, turning to face where it was coming from. “Look! No way…” The source was a screen hanging down from the ceiling depicting her father.

“Everyone will be arriving soon… Mom, Grandma… Yes, she’ll be here too. I’m sure she’ll be here, once she’s able to calm down… Why… Why?” He said as tears began to roll down his face.

They heard the sound of a door opening off screen followed by Kasumi’s own voice. “…Dad?” And the screen shut off. Her head started to pound like it often did when she felt she was forgetting something important.

“That was your father in the video just now, wasn’t it, Yoshizawa-san? And the one he was speaking to…” Crow asked.

“Sumire… My younger sister, Sumire Yoshizawa.” The pounding in her head intensified at the mention of her sister’s name. She doubled over, clutching her head in pain.

Joker quickly moved to her. “Hey, are you okay? We can take a break if you need it.”

“No, I’m fine. I can keep going. I don’t know what’s been wrong with me lately. I keep getting this feeling that there’s something I’ve forgotten, but it also feels like I shouldn’t remember it…” She replied as she walked ahead of the two boys.

A short bit later, they came into a room that appeared to be a massive auditorium. As they entered, the pain in Kasumi’s head intensified again.

“You seem to be in pain again. Are you sure you’re alright?” Crow asked.

I-I’m fine. It’s just that I can’t stop thinking about that video… the one about Sumire…” She responded.

“Let’s get a move on then. All this standing around is a waste of our time.” Crow said.

A Shadow appeared as they were about to enter a hallway leading into the auditorium’s floor.

“You are misguided. Do not search for pain. Only tragedy awaits you beyond here.” The Shadow spoke in a warning tone.

“All these warnings of pain and tragedy! Who is your ruler? Why do you all think you know so much about me!? She yelled as the Shadow transformed into a tall, black haired demon with a pitchfork. “If you won’t give me an answer, then I’ll just force my way through!”

“ **Come, Cendrillon!** ” She charged at the Shadow, hastily aiming a magic attack at the Shadow, which sailed past it and fizzled against the back wall. “ **Vorpal Blade!** ” She called, Cendrillon slashing it repeatedly to no avail. Finally, she slashed at it herself and shot it, her blade and bullets harmlessly bouncing off its red scales.

“Stop rushing into things before you get yourself killed!” Crow spat.

“Just calm down and focus.” Joker said, tearing off his mask. “ **Black Viper!** ” A massive black serpent leapt from the ground below the Shadow, its fangs piercing through the Shadow’s scales before disappearing.

The Shadow now leaned on its pitchfork for support, badly wounded. “Such a fool, rejecting our lord’s mercy… In that case- witness it for yourself.

“Just shut up and die.” Crow said as he shot it, a maniacal grin on his face.

The sound of a cheering crowd rose behind them as the Shadow fell.

“Oh wow, the crowd is going wild! Their cheers are shaking the stadium to welcome a new heroine to the world of competitive gymnastics!”

Kasumi stepped towards the sound coming from the auditorium.

“What’s going on here!?” She was unable to comprehend the sight before her. Standing atop a podium in the center she saw a girl with brown hair tied up in a tight bun with a beauty mark below her left eye. A woman stood in front of her holding a microphone. Kasumi recognized the event as her first ever first place win at a competition, a few months before Sumire’s death.

‘That’s me… isn’t it? So, why do I feel like something’s wrong?’

“Thank you so much! I’m simply thrilled with the results I had today!” The other Kasumi said enthusiastically.

‘That was true, wasn’t it? I won back then, so why do I feel so much like I failed that day… Why does thinking about it now fill me with so much dread?’

“Your performance today exceeded anything seen before in the junior class- it was absolutely stunning! But you’ll be entering high school soon- will that impact your career in gymnastics?” The interviewer asked.

“Oh, I have no intention of stopping! It’s my dream to compete and win at the international level!”

“How wonderful! One last question- is there anyone you’d like to give a shout-out while you have the chance?”

“My younger sister! She should be here in the stadium…” The second Kasumi started looking all around her before her eyes finally landed on her.

“What?” Kasumi muttered.

“Oh, there she is! Sumire!” The other Kasumi waved at her. “Sumire! I did it! Both of us have the same dream- to be international champions!”

“Stop…” Kasumi’s head started pounding worse than it ever had before, her ears ringing with the pain.

“Let’s make it come true, Sumire! Together!”

“Stop it!” She screamed as the pain continued to intensify. Her knees gave out and she felt herself collapse, only to be caught by Joker.

“I think we should get you out of here for now. You aren’t in any condition to keep going.” He said in a concerned tone.

“No! Senpai, I want to keep going. I _need_ to keep going. I… I have to find out what’s going on here. Please.” She pleaded.

Joker relented. “Fine, but if something like that happens while you’re in danger, I’m pulling you out of here no matter what.”

Suddenly a man’s voice rang out from an intercom. “I really hope this helped you understand. If you keep pushing on like this, you’re going to find nothing but heartache. Please, won’t you stop fighting this and return to the ‘current’ reality?” The voice sounded familiar, but Kasumi with the pain in her head, she couldn’t place where she recognized it from.

“Hm. ‘Current reality’ you say? Sounds interesting, I’d like to hear more, so I have no intention of leaving so soon. Now, why don’t you drop the ‘big voice behind the curtain’ act and face us directly?” Crow responded.

“As you wish. Head on down. I’ll meet you there.” The voice was slow to reply.

“He agreed to that much more readily than I expected. Perhaps the Palace’s ruler really will make his appearance?” Crow said.

“Sumi, before we go, are you sure you’re okay?” Joker asked, still supporting her weight.

“Thanks for your concern, but don’t worry about me. I’m fine, really. Let’s keep going.” She replied, trying to keep a brave face.

When the group finally arrived on the auditorium floor, they saw a man in a perfectly white suit with slicked back brown hair waiting for them with his back turned.

“Is he this Palace’s ruler?” Kasumi asked.

“It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?” The man said as he turned around. Suddenly, the familiarity in his voice made sense.

“Dr. Maruki!?” She asked, incredulously.

Even Joker seemed surprised. “No way…” He muttered.

“Glad to see you’re all doing well. I pretty much figured that you would end up infiltrating this place. Truth be told, this isn’t how I was hoping we would meet again.” Maruki said.

“Dr. Maruki, you’re this Palace’s ruler?” She asked.

Maruki seemed confused. “Palace?”

“A place where an individual’s distorted desires manifest. We’re asking if you’re the source of the desire’s here. Crow explained.

“Ah. I see. Well, to use your own words: yes, I am this Palace’s ruler. But in my case, it seems a tad different from the ones you’ve seen.” Maruki replied.

“Would we also be correct in believing that you’re involved in the abnormalities outside the Palace as well?” Crow continued his questioning.

“Yes, you would. Do you like the reality I created for you?” Maruki asked.

All three were taken aback. “You… created it?” Crow asked.

“That’s right. I’ve gained the power to alter reality… to make it whatever the people wish for.” Maruki said.

Joker was the first to respond. “Change it back.”

“Change it back? Amamiya-kun, don’t you see that this is everything my research has been building to? A world without pain, without suffering! The old reality was harsh, brutal and unfair! Why would you ever want to go back to that? You of all people must understand that!” Maruki said, clearly shocked.

“You think I don’t know that!? After everything I’ve been through and after everything the people I care about have been through, of course I know that! But we’ve been able to grow stronger _because_ we’ve suffered so much! If we accept this, then what was the point of it all? Everything we’ve fought and bled for means nothing if I just go along with this!” Joker yelled.

Crow crossed his arms. “Well said, Joker. Could have done with a bit less of your emotional theatrics, but I agree.”

Maruki looked slightly downcast. “Somehow, I thought the two of you might react that way, at least at first. Please, just give me a chance to show you the merit of my reality. My reality is already granting wishes and making people happy. Amamiya-kun, I’m sure you’ve noticed how happy your friends are in this reality, not to mention how much my power has helped Yoshizawa-san deal with her awful past.”

“My past? Dr. Maruki, what do you mean? What’s happened to me!?” Kasumi asked, the feeling of dread creeping back into her.

“I had honestly hoped that all those warnings you were given would change your minds… But if it’s your true desire, then I want you to recall who you really are. And I want you two to learn as well. Once you have, you’ll need to choose between the two realities: the merciless one, or the one I’ve formed.” Maruki snapped his fingers and the lights in the room shut off and a screen above them turned on and replayed the worst day of her life right before their eyes.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two girls were walking through the streets on a rainy day, one with brown hair pulled back into a ponytail with a red ribbon, the other was wearing glasses and had crimson red hair that fell loosely down her back. Both were holding umbrellas and wearing identical tracksuits.

“Today was brutal, huh?” The brunette said before noticing something was wrong. “Feeling okay?

The redhead shook her head and spoke sadly. “It’s not that… Why am I doing so bad? I keep messing up my routine…”

“Your growth spurt’s just changed your eye level. You’ll get used to it. Look! You’re as tall as I am now.” The brunette said with an encouraging smile.

“We practice the same amount… But you’re the one who always gets first place. I can’t catch up to you, Kasumi.” The redhead said, looking down.

“You know why? Because it’s my right as the elder sister.” The Kasumi joked.

“We’re in the same grade, though…”

Aw, don’t be so down. We’ll reach the top of the world together… That’s our dream, right?”

“You don’t get it…You’ll never understand how I feel.” The redhead said before running away.

‘Kasumi… If I were like you… things would be so much better.’

“Hey, wait up!” Kasumi called from behind, chasing after her sister.

‘Kasumi’s the one that people want…’

“Look where you’re going! The light’s red!”

‘The talented one who _can_ reach the top of the world…’

“Sumire, stop! Listen to me! SUMIRE!” Suddenly, Kasumi dove forward, pushing Sumire to the ground, the sound of a car’s horn grew louder, followed by a sickening crack of bone as it collided with the brunette.

“What…” Sumire said as she pushed herself off the ground, the sound of panicked voices all around her. Looking up, she saw her older sister lying down on her side in a pool of her own blood. “Kasumi…”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As her true memories came flooding back, Sumire Yoshizawa felt herself fall to her knees, not noticing her Metaverse attire disappearing in a flash of blue flame, nor her ribbon coming undone and her hair cascading down her back. She tried to speak, but she couldn’t bring a single word out of her mouth.

“Seems you remembered.” Maruki said.

“That’s right… I’m…” She started.

“Kasumi…” Joker said softly, kneeling down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“No… that’s not right! I’m… I’m not Kasumi!

“The girl named ‘Kasumi Yoshizawa’ is currently deceased.” Crow said.

“It was last spring… Before I started at Shujin… We were walking home from practice. It happened right there, on that street in the video… I wasn’t looking where I was going… And Kasumi, she protected me from the car… I was saved by Kasumi… I robbed her of her dreams… and even her life! I’m… her younger sister Sumire Yoshizawa.”

“I’ll take over from here. After all, I do play a part in this story. Her real name is Sumire Yoshizawa, she’s Kasumi-san’s younger sister. But for months now, she’s only seen herself as being Kasumi Yoshizawa… her deceased elder sister. Of course, it was only her cognition if herself that changed, so to the people around her, she was still Sumire-san. For some reason, though… there were a few rare exceptions to this. You, for example, Amamiya-kun. Did something happen to make you believe that she was Kasumi-san?”

Joker remained silent.

“After Kasumi died, but before I started at Shujin, I received counseling from Dr. Maruki. That was when I told him… If Kasumi is gone and can’t make her dream come true… Then I want to become Kasumi, so I can turn her dream into reality for her.”

“So that’s why you meddled with her cognition? For her own wishes?” Crow asked.

Maruki nodded. “That’s right. Limited as it was, I already had the power at the time to actualize her wish. Put yourselves in her shoes for a moment… Sumire-san’s older sister died from protecting her. Imagine surviving such a dismal tragedy… Who would be able to cope with that survivor’s guilt, let alone heal from the emotional scarring that she’s suffered? If Sumire-san can live a healthy, positive life by becoming Kasumi-san… Then I believe that reality is what would make her happy.”

‘I can… Become Kasumi… Dr. Maruki can make me Kasumi again… There’s no way that I can make our dream a reality… I’m just Sumire… Weak, pathetic, worthless Sumire… But, if I’m Kasumi, there’s nothing I can’t do… Kasumi has all the talent, the drive to succeed, she’s someone worth noticing… Maybe if I truly become Kasumi, I can finally be worthy to stand by Senpai’s side… I can achieve our dream and be with him…’ Sumire’s thoughts overwhelmed her.

The outside conversation continued, but Sumire didn’t notice any of it until she heard Maruki mention her name. “Yoshizawa-san… Allow me to ask you yet again… Which reality is it that you wish to inhabit? If you so desire, you can return to your life as Sumire… But if you’d rather continue your life as Kasumi, I can grant that wish for you as well.”

“Dr. Maruki… I…” She started before Joker spoke.

“Sumire, please don’t do this. I know it’s hard, but you’re strong enough to get through this. I believe in you. And I promise you that I will be there with you every step of the way.” He held his pinky out to her in their typical ritual whenever they made a promise and gave her a warm smile.

“You’re wrong… I can’t do it… I’m sorry, Senpai.” Sumire stood up, unable to meet his eyes. “I… I can’t go back to being her… I can’t be the one who led her sister to her death!”

“Sumi…” Joker said as his hands fell to his sides weakly.

“Please don’t judge her. This is just evidence of how painful life is for her. You two sensed doubts in the reality I created, that’s what led you here. But please, remember this as well: you two aren’t excluded from the people that I wish to save. Come now, Amamiya-kun… won’t you accept my reality for your own happiness?”

After a long pause, Joker finally spoke. “I’ll find my own happiness.” Sumire looked over to him if she and saw the resolute gaze in his eyes. If she didn’t know any better, she could have sworn there were tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

“No deal so far, huh?” Maruki snapped his fingers and bright spotlights shined in their faces as some sort of tendril shot out of the ground next to him and shot towards Sumire, wrapping around her body and lifting her into the air.

“What the hell are you doing!? Let go of her!” Joker roared as she felt herself drifting into unconsciousness.

  
**???????????**

Sumire dreamt of dancing. She was back at the school festival dancing with Ren once again. This wasn’t the first time she had relived this moment in her dreams, but this time it felt different. Normally, remembering it filled her with the same joy she had felt at the real school festival, but this time it felt empty. The dance was interrupted when Sumire tripped over something, falling backwards. Sitting up, she noticed what she had tripped over. With shock, she once more saw the body of Kasumi, lying on the ground broken and bleeding. Ren stood over her and the crowd of students whispered all around them.

“Look at her…”

“Her sister’s dead because of her…”

“She’s horrible…

“It should have been her…”

Ren glanced at the crowd around them, taking in their words before looking down at her.

“They’re right, you know. This is all your fault. If only you weren’t so pathetic, then Kasumi would still be alive. Why do you even bother trying? You can’t even die right.” Ren said with venom.

“I know…” Sumire weakly responded.

Ren chuckled darkly. “And you seriously believed that someone as worthless as you could ever achieve your dream?”

Tears streaked her face. “Please, stop…”

“How could I ever love someone like you? You’re _nothing._ ” He said before walking away from her.

“No! Please don’t leave me, Senpai! Don’t leave me all alone…”

Ren continued walking until he disappeared into the crowd, leaving Sumire alone with her tears.

**January 9th**

Unaware of how long she had been asleep, Sumire awoke to the sound of voices.

“Well, it’s time. For the sake of Yoshizawa-san, and the rest of your friends… I ask you to give me your answer.” Maruki looked at Joker.

‘Please, Senpai. Don’t fight this. For once, just let this go. We can live happily. What’s wrong with that?’ She mentally pleaded with him, knowing he couldn’t hear her. But, he gave the worst possible response.

“I can’t accept this reality.”

“Negotiations seem to have broken down.” Crow said.

“I see… It seems we still haven’t reached an understanding.” Maruki seemed disappointed.

“No… You’re not serious, right? Please… I’m begging you, Senpai… Please let me live as Kasumi!” Sumire pleaded, standing up and walking down the nearby steps towards him.

Joker slowly removed his mask, dropped it to the floor and shook his head. “I’m sorry. But that’s the one thing I can’t let you do.”

“But, why? This pain is too much… Why can’t I just leave it all behind me!? Kasumi is gone forever, and… and it’s all my- All Sumire’s fault! I can’t live that kind of life!”

“This isn’t right. Do you think this is what Kasumi would want for you? I may not have met her, but I don’t think that’s how she would want you to carry on.” Ren said.

“You don’t know what it’s like! You’ll never understand!” Sumire shouted.

“You’re right. I can’t possibly understand what you’re going through right now, but I do know you. You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for. I know you can make it through this. And like I said before, I promise to stay by your side.” Ren smiled at her and held out his hand. “Let’s go back to reality and we’ll take on the future together.”

Sumire paused. “I can’t…” She felt her power surge through her once again as her Metaverse attire rematerialized on her body. “Please… Don’t try to stop me… If you do, then I’ll…!”

“Sumi… Please don’t do this… This is the last thing I ever wanted to happen.” Ren said, his voice cracking.

“How stubborn… No matter what you say to her, I doubt she’ll understand. I don’t think we have a choice. I could take care of it for you right now… But I suspect you’d prefer her to leave here alive.” Crow said as he leaned against a wall. “Just don’t get yourself killed because you’re too soft to fight back.

“Please… Don’t make me do this…” Sumire unsheathed her sword and raised her hand to her mask. “I can’t stop this… I refuse to live as Kasumi’s killer! **Sword Dance!** ”

Ren grunted in pain as the ethereal blades from Cendrillon’s attack bit into his flesh.

‘What am I thinking? I don’t stand a chance against him… He’s killed a god! Compared to that, I’m nothing… I can’t possibly win this fight… But if I don’t, he’s going to make me live as Sumire…’

Feeling like a cornered animal, Sumire went on the offensive, wildly swinging her rapier at him. Ren never made a move to attack her, instead he elected to dodge and parry her strikes. For the most part, he had no trouble evading damage from her attacks, but Sumire occasionally landed a hit against him. Eventually, Ren put a bit of distance between them and quickly healed himself, the blood stopped seeping from his wounds. “Sumi, please stop this.”

‘How long is this going to keep going? I hate this… But there’s no other choice for me… I need to slow him down, just long enough for Dr. Maruki to make me Kasumi again.’

“Why won’t you just give up!?” Sumire shouted, close to tears. “Do you want me to suffer!? Why do you hate me, Senpai!?”

“Is that what you think? You think that I hate you? That I want you to suffer? Sumi, I could never hate you.”

“Then why!? Why won’t you just let me do this!? Why won’t you let me live as Kasumi!?”

“Because…” Ren took a deep breath. “I can’t let you because I refuse to just stand by and watch someone I love give up on themselves!”

Sumire lowered her weapon. “S-Someone you… love?”

He began to slowly walk towards her. “You’re scared. You’re afraid to face the world alone, but you don’t have to. You’ll _never_ have to.” When Ren finally reached Sumire, he wrapped her in a tight hug. “Sumi, I swear that I will never abandon you. So please, don’t do this. Don’t erase yourself.”

‘Am I… still dreaming? Senpai… said he loves me. No… he didn’t mean it like that… why would he mean it like that?’ Her clothes returning to normal as she allowed her power to flow out of her. ‘I think I’ll stay like this for a while longer. Even if it is just a dream… it’s nice.’ Ren’s embrace made Sumire feel safe, a warmth she hadn’t felt since entering the Palace spreading through her body. The two of them stood there in silence, Ren lightly stroking her hair. Eventually, Sumire felt her breathing and heartbeat begin to steady, and she finally spoke again.

“I don’t know if I can… I don’t know how I can go on like this…” She said, her voice barely audible.

Ren pulled away from her slightly and stared into her eyes. “You have to believe in your own strength. You can get through this.”

‘Believe in my own strength… But I’m so weak…

Sumire fully moved away. “You don’t understand… I can’t go back to living as Sumire…”

Maruki began walking towards her. “Yoshizawa-san, I can give you strength… so you don’t have to suffer. Tell me: if you want your pain to end and desire to live as Kasumi… I’ll actualize it!”

Tendrils once again shot from the ground, wrapped themselves around Sumire’s arms and legs and lifted her off the ground. Electricity surged through her body, causing her to scream in pain.

The last thing she heard before falling unconscious once more was Ren’s voice, screaming at Maruki with a rage unlike anything she had ever seen.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘What smells like coffee?’ Sumire thought as she stirred awake. Her body was resting against something hard, yet strangely comfortable. She wasn’t sure what was happening, but she decided she liked it. The sound of conversation around her snapped her out of her thoughts.

“I’ll be going now. Be sure to consider my point.”

“Hey… Hey! Geez…”

“Yoshizawa! Are you all right?”

At this moment she realized exactly what was happening. Glancing around her, she saw the members of the Phantom Thieves standing around her, all with concerned looks on their faces. They were all there: Morgana, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Haru… wait, where was Ren? At that moment, she noticed her arms were wrapped around a head of curly black hair, a pair of hands were on her legs and she couldn’t feel the ground below her.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Ren joked before his voice quickly softened. “Are you alright?”

“Oh… yes.” She said, a light dusting of pink on her face because of the piggyback ride she was receiving from Ren.

“If you’re sure, then I’ll put you down now.” He carefully squatted down until she was firmly on the ground. However, he didn’t let her go until he was certain she wasn’t going to fall over.

‘I don’t really want him to put me down… but I can’t just let him carry me like this…’

“I’m sorry that I… caused you all so much trouble… She apologized.

“You don’t need to apologize!” Ann quickly said.

“We should probably go our separate ways for now and discuss it at a better time. Makoto suggested.

“Yeah. Tomorrow we can… Oh yeah, third semester’s startin’ up tomorrow, right?” Ryuji said.

‘School starts again tomorrow? Does that mean I was unconscious for an entire week…?’

The conversation continued while Sumire was lost in thought and she noticed that they were beginning to disperse, so she decided that she should head home herself.

“Hey wait up!” Ren’s voice called from behind her.

“Senpai… shouldn’t you be heading home?” She asked, slowing down so he could catch up.

“I wanted to walk you home. If that’s alright with you, of course.”

‘I want to… but I shouldn’t bother him… I’m already such a burden on him…’

Sumire shook her head. “I’d like to be alone for a bit so I can collect my thoughts.”

Ren nodded. “I get that. I want to make sure you know that I’m here for you. If you want to talk, or even just have someone else around, I’m just a call or a text away. When you need me, just let me know and I’ll come running.”

Sumire looked at the ground. “Why… why are you being so nice to me? You don’t know me… you don’t know anything about Sumire Yoshizawa!”

Ren thought for a moment. “Maybe you’re right… I don’t know you. But I can’t wait to get to know you. The _real_ you.” Her head shot up; her eyes transfixed on his warm smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Sumire Yoshizawa. I’m Ren Amamiya, but I guess you already knew that, huh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has definitely been one of my favorite chapters to write so far. This section of the game resonated with me in a way that nothing else I've read, watched, or played has. I can't think of anything else that has made me feel as powerfully as I did during Kasumi's death scene and the proceeding section, a lot of which hugely contributed to what made Sumire my favorite P5 character, so I really hope that I was able to do it justice.
> 
> As usual, please tell me what you thought and I hope you enjoyed!


	13. A Life in Cinders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sumire adjusts to life as herself, finding the resolve to keep going.

**January 10th**

‘Ugh. Do I really have to get up? Can’t I just stay in bed? It’s nice and warm and I don’t have to worry about anything…’ It was 6 a.m. and Sumire’s alarm was blaring, signifying the start of the first day of school after becoming herself again. Having no desire to get up, she rolled over in her bed and buried her head in her pillow, trying to drown out the sound of the alarm to no avail. ‘Why does it have to be so irritating?’

After a minute of trying to ignore the noise, she finally reached for her phone to silence it, the light from the screen blinding her in the dark room. Once she shut off her alarm, she noticed a few texts had come in.

 _Ren:_ Hey, I know I just said this yesterday, but I’m here if you need me.

 _Ren:_ Hope I see you at school.

The last text came attached with a picture of Morgana dressed like a pirate. She giggled a bit at the picture, but the fleeting happiness it brought her quickly faded.

‘Why does he care about someone like me? I don’t deserve it… it would be so much easier if he wanted nothing to do with me… at least that I could understand.’ She placed her phone back on the nightstand and curled up under her blanket.

15 minutes later, she heard a knock on her door accompanied by her father’s voice. “Is everything alright, Sumire?” She curled up tighter at the sound of her name. “You’ll be late for school if you don’t get up soon.”

‘Why does it matter? What difference will it make if I get out of bed?’ She remembered Ren’s text saying he hoped to see her and finally found the motivation to get up.

She heard her father once again. “Sumire, are you still asleep?”

“I’m awake… just moving a little slowly this morning.”

Managing to pull herself out of bed, Sumire grabbed her school uniform and moved to the bathroom to shower. Once she had gotten dressed, she raised the ribbon she had instinctively brought with her to her hair, stopping in her tracks once she looked at herself in the mirror. Lowering the ribbon, she returned to her room and placed it on her dresser next to a pair of glasses. Because they hadn’t been worn in months, they were covered in dust.

‘Just like everything else in here…’ She thought half-heartedly. ‘I should probably clean up in here at some point… I’ll start with these for now.’ Sumire quickly wiped the dust off her glasses and put them on before looking in the mirror. ‘There she is… Sumire Yoshizawa…’ She began to wonder how her parents would react to her returning to her normal look. ‘Here goes nothing.’

Stepping out of her room and down the stairs, Sumire was greeted by her parents as she walked into the kitchen. Neither mentioned her glasses, but she could see the hopeful gazes in their eyes. After eating a quick breakfast, she said goodbye and made her way to school.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sumire barely registered anything that happened on the way to Shujin, remaining in her trancelike state until she noticed Ren and Ryuji talking by the school’s entrance.

‘I should go and apologize for everything… but they probably don’t want me around… I don’t want to ruin their fun with my presence…’

The bell rang signifying the school day was about to begin.

“Ah shit! We’re gonna be late!” She could clearly hear Ryuji’s loud voice even from this distance. The boys rushed into the school, removing the burden of choice from Sumire.

The school day seemed to tick by even slower than it usually did, but the welcome break of lunchtime eventually came. She wanted to be alone for a while, so she made her way to the rooftop to eat lunch alone.

Pulling out her phone, she looked to her chat messages with Ren. He hadn’t texted her since the morning, so Sumire spent a while reading his earlier texts.

‘I should probably talk to him… but I don’t know if I’m ready for that… I know he wants to help me, but I don’t know if I can… I’ve already relied on him for so much…’

She heard the sound of a door opening. “Thought I might find you here.”

Ren was standing by the door. “Senpai…?”

“I wanted to see you. Maybe we could have lunch together.”

Sumire felt her eyes fill with tears. “Senpai, I… I don’t understand you at all. Why do you want to be around me?”

Ren seemed taken aback. “I thought that was pretty obvious. I want to be around you because you’re my friend.”

“No, I’m not…” Sumire mumbled.

“What was that?” He asked.

“I said I’m not your friend! The entire time we’ve known each other, I’ve done nothing but rely on you! How is that being a friend!? All I do is weigh you down! I’m no friend! I’m nothing but a burden on you! Just a useless, worthless burden…” Sumire shouted, tears streaming down her face.

Ren’s arms wrapped around her. “That isn’t true. Please don’t say things like that. Sumire, you are _not_ worthless and you’re not a burden either. I want to be there for you because I care about you.”

Sumire buried her face into Ren’s chest, crying into his shirt. “How do you not hate me? I’ve been deceiving you for months, making you believe I was someone I’m not… Yesterday I attacked you! I hurt you, I could have killed you… And through everything you’ve been nothing but kind and caring to me. I don’t deserve any of it… I don’t deserve you… You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever known… Compared to you… I’m nothing…”

Ren held her tighter. “Sumire, you need to give yourself more credit. You are amazing. I’ve seen you do some incredible things. Have confidence in yourself.”

“That wasn’t me… Not Sumire anyway...”

“I don’t think that’s true.” He paused. “I don’t think you were ever Kasumi. Not really.” Sumire looked up into his eyes. “Maruki may be able to alter reality now, but that only started recently, and you thought you were Kasumi for months. Besides, he said it himself, all he did was change your cognition of yourself. Everything you did while you were Kasumi, it was you and no one else. Sumire, you are amazing, and I want to help you see that. You can rely on me whenever you need to.”

‘Why is my heart beating so fast? Is it because he’s holding me like this? It’s kind of nice… I think I’ll just stay like this as long as I can.’ Sumire thought as she rested her head against his chest.

Eventually, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. “Oh… I guess we need to go…” Sumire said, disappointed.

“Yeah, we should probably head back to class.” Ren replied. However, neither let go and moved away from the other. “But, it shouldn’t be too big of a deal if we’re just a bit late.” He continued, moving his hand to gently place it on the back of her head.

Sumire smiled, feeling genuinely happy for the first time since becoming her true self again.

**January 11th  
** Sumire’s was feeling happy after her conversation with Ren the day before, the memory of her feelings in that moment had left her spirits raised for a surprisingly long time. The day had been rather normal up until lunchtime when she noticed something… odd.

‘Oh, there’s Niijima-senpai. Who’s that she’s with? Is that Sakura-senpai and Kitagawa-senpai? And… Akechi-san!? Why are they here? And wearing our gym uniform? None of them go to Shujin. What’s going on here? Maybe I should follow them…’

Once again utilizing the stealth techniques she used to tail Ren and Ryuji, she followed the group of Phantom Thieves and the Detective Prince through the hallways of Shujin, ducking behind other students and into open rooms whenever she felt it necessary.

‘I’m probably drawing way too much attention to myself… People are probably going to think I’m some weird stalker or something… Luckily, they haven’t seemed to have noticed me, so at least there’s that…’ She thought as she trailed behind the group into the school’s practice building. The group entered the nurse’s office, leaving the door slightly ajar. Sumire carefully sidled up to look through the small opening. She saw the rest of the Phantom Thieves already inside along with a young girl with long platinum blonde hair, a blue dress and a thick book in her hands. She was sitting on one of the chairs and appeared to be asleep.

“Looks like everyone’s here.” Ren said once he noticed the rest of the group arrive.

“Wow, you actually managed to sneak them in! Good job, Makoto!” Ann cheered.

“I’m glad no one questioned anything considering I don’t have an adequate excuse for them being here..” Makoto said.

“Moving on, we only have a limited time. We should probably wake up Lady Lavenza.” Morgana chimed in.

‘Lady Lavenza? Just who is this girl?’

Ren placed a hand on her shoulder and lightly shook her awake.

Lavenza around the room and spoke sleepily “It appears everyone’s arrived. Does this mean… you’re ready to begin?”

“Lavenza, what do you know about Doc?” Ryuji asked.

“I wish to speak with you about the circumstances that led this Maruki to alter reality as you know it… as well as the true nature of his power.”

“You know all of that?” Morgana asked.

“I admit, there will be a degree of speculation involved- but only to a small extent. I’ll start with how he has gained the power to alter reality. I believe he has changed reality by altering the cognition of the masses. In other words, these changes are the result of him meddling with Mementos.” Lavenza explained.

Makoto looked surprise “How is that possible? I thought Mementos was gone.”

“Hold on, remember our experiences with the Meta-Nav and Maruki’s Palace.” Morgana said.

“It may be impossible to erase Mementos and the Metaverse, after all it _is_ the cognition of the masses.” Ren mused.

“That is correct. If that man is truly capable of controlling individuals’ cognitions and he were also to gain access to Mementos, it would be no surprise that he could impact everyone’s cognitions and affect reality itself.” Lavenza continued.

“Could he really do all that? I mean, it’s assumed that Dr. Maruki has the power to control cognition, right?” Ann asked.

“His controlling of cognition, let’s refer to it as ‘actualization,’ I believe it to be the unique power of a Persona.” Lavenza said.

It was Morgana’s turn to look confused. “But, that’s impossible! There’s no way to have a Persona and a Palace at the same time!”

“Determining when he awakened to his power is wholly impossible. But, by the time he crossed your paths, there’s no doubt he was already making use of his actualization- although he may have only been doing so subconsciously.” Lavenza said.

Ren clenched his fist. “Like with Sumire…”

“Even if we attribute Maruki’s power of actualization to a special persona ability, such as what Ren and I possess, we still need to determine how he used that power on Mementos as a whole, rather than a single individual.” Akechi said.

“Right. Even if there were some kind of power that could affect Mementos, it’s on a whole different level. One person shouldn’t be capable of this.”

“Yeah… Changing reality just by thinking it isn’t something that humans do, it’s something that like, gods do.” Ann said.

“And what if he became such a god?” Lavenza questioned.

Realization slowly dawned upon the group. “The God of Control!” Makoto gasped.

“Indeed. The being you defeated was a false deity that the masses deludedly clung to… It is easy to think that Maruki simply took its place when it disappeared.”

“But after the defeat of the God of Control, the Phantom Thieves gained the support of the masses, so why did they turn to Maruki instead of them?” Akechi mused.

There was a pause. “…Because we wished for it…” Ren finally spoke.

“What are you talkin’ about, dude? We never wished for this! When would we have even had the chance to?” Ryuji exclaimed.

“We all went to Maruki for counseling. We all told him about our problems, and about how things would be in a perfect world… He used what we told him when he altered reality… Whether we knew it or not, some part of us wanted what he was offering, and when given the opportunity, he made those desires reality.”

“So, this is all our fault, huh?”

“That doesn’t matter. He needs to be stopped, and we’re the only ones who can do that. I don’t know how the rest of you feel, but Maruki’s reality just isn’t something I can accept. I’m fighting him, no matter the cost. Even without all that, I can’t forgive him for what he did to her…” Ren said with a resolved gaze.

The rest of the group quickly followed suit, deciding to fight against Maruki’s reality.

‘I can’t believe they’re going to fight Dr. Maruki even though he’s become so powerful…’

Sumire missed a bit of the conversation but was snapped back into it by Ren’s voice. “We only have a month so we should get started soon. Let’s meet at the stadium tomorrow after school, around 4.”

“It seems like we’re just about finished here, so I will take my leave.” Lavenza transformed into a blue butterfly and flew towards the door. Sumire, realizing she would be discovered, ducked away from the crack in the door to hide.

‘They’re all so strong and brave… not like me at all… I wish I could be like them…’

  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That night, Sumire was lying down on her bed and talking to herself about what had happened that afternoon.

“I wish I was strong enough to help them… but I’m too weak. I’m not even sure I can deal with life as myself, much less fight my only chance at escaping from that.” She remembered the things Ren had said to her over the past few days.

“He said I’m stronger than I give myself credit for, that he cares about me and that I’ve never been a burden on him, and… he called me amazing. Not Kasumi. But _me._ ” Sumire picked up her ribbon and looked at it. “Kasumi saw that. She died protecting me because she believed in me. She entrusted her dream, no, _our_ dream to me. Senpai believes in me too. I can’t let them down. I _will_ make our dream a reality for her. Kasumi was always so strong, without any effort. Senpai is the same way. It doesn’t come effortlessly to me, but I need to try. I can’t keep being weak and relying on others. I want to become someone that others can rely on. Tomorrow, I’ll help them fight Dr. Maruki. Tomorrow will be the day Sumire Yoshizawa stops being weak!” Sumire fell asleep, her resolve strengthening as she prepared for the next day.

**January 12th**

Sumire stood outside of Maruki’s Palace, small doubts building within her as she looked up at the shining tower.

‘Can I really do this? I could just turn around and leave this to Senpai and his friends… No, I don’t have a choice. If I can’t do this, then how can I ever make our dream come true?’

“Sumire, is that you?”

“Um, yes. It’s me.” She said as she turned around to face the Phantom Thieves.

“Not that I’m not glad to see you, but what are you doing here?” Joker asked.

“Um… I… I…” She stammered, struggling to find the words now that the time had come.

“Take your time.” He said.

Sumire took a deep breath. “I want to help you! Please let me fight Dr. Maruki with you!”

“I’d be thrilled to have you with us, but only if this is really what you want. So, I’m going to ask you, are you absolutely sure that this is what you want?”

Sumire looked him dead in the eyes. “Yes. This is my choice. I’m never going to run away again. I’ll fight with everything I have!” She pulled her ribbon out of her pocket and closed her eyes as she tied her hair into a ponytail.

‘Kasumi, I know I’m not as strong as you yet, but I’m working on it. So please, lend me your strength for just a while longer. Soon I’ll be able to stand on my own.’

As soon as she finished tying up her hair, she felt the familiar feeling of her clothes changing.

“I’m ready. Let’s get going!” She exclaimed, turning towards the Palace’s entrance.

Joker stopped her. “Hold on a sec. There’s still something we need to take care of first.”

“Take care of…?”

“Your codename.”

“Codename…?”

“It ain’t cool for Phantom Thieves to use their real names! So, we use codenames! If you want some examples, we got Joker, Mona, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir and I’m Skull!” He said, pointing at each of the thieves in turn and finally himself.

“You forgot someone.” Akechi growled.

“Oh, right. Then there’s Crow, I guess.” Ryuji half-heartedly finished.

“Okay, how do we decide on my codename?” She asked.

Joker shrugged. “Well, our usual process is to just throw out suggestions until we find something the new member likes, so we can just do that.”

“Well, in that case, you can pick mine Joker-senpai!”

He smirked. “How about Appetite? I think that’s pretty fitting.”

“Take this seriously, Senpai!” Sumire said, pouting.

“Alright, sorry about that. Give me a minute.” He looked her up and down with his hand on his chin like he was deep in thought. “What do you think about Violet?”

“Violet, huh? I like it! I’m Violet.” Sumire, now dubbed Violet said.

“Violet it is! Now, remember everyone, it’s ‘Violet’, not ‘Violent!’” Oracle joked.

“Thank you for clarifying, Oracle-senpai.”

“I think the name ‘Violent’ would suit someone here better than their current name. You thinking of getting a name change, Crow?” Joker said.

“Shut up before I kill you, Joker.”

“You’ve tried and failed twice already, so I’m not too worried. Anyway, let’s get going. Violet, Skull and Queen, you’re with me.

  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The infiltration had barely started when the group faced their first major roadblock. They were moving towards the room where Sumire and Ren had fought, when a group of Shadows dropped from the ceiling and surrounded her. She immediately went for her mask, attempting to call forth Cendrillon, but when she removed it, nothing happened. No surge of power, no flames, and no Cendrillon. It was like removing any ordinary mask.

“Her Persona’s…!” Morgana started.

“Not gonna happen! Skull, let’s move!” Joker shouted, as the two rushed towards her.

“Please, stay back! I appreciate it, but allow me. I chose to stand on my own and fight. It’s time I stop being helpless. I hung my head low and took your hand… but I knew all along deep down… pretending to be Kasumi was not the right way…” Sumire said as he reached for her mask once more and began to pull. It didn’t move, so she pulled harder. It had never felt like this before, it was never this painful. She pulled harder still, wincing in pain as she felt skin tearing from flesh, blood beginning to trickle down her forehead.

“The weak, insecure Sumire… dies today!” She shouted as she finally fully ripped the mask away from her, her face completely covered in blood. “You were the one… the only one who stayed true to yourself! Come, Cendrillon! If you don’t answer my call now… how else can we make our dream come true!?”

**_Such tenacity… it seems to fit you better than ever before._ **

**_The glass slippers are the icon of glory…_ **

Sumire looked up and saw Kasumi floating down towards her, wearing a Shujin uniform. Kasumi mouthed something to her, and even though she didn’t make a sound, Sumire knew exactly what she had said. Tears in her eyes, Sumire nodded and reached out to her sister’s outstretched hand and when their hands touched, Kasumi transformed into Cendrillon.

**_Not just for you, but the other girl within you as well…_ **

**_I am thou, thou art I…_ **

**_Are you prepared for your debut? The ball awaits._ **

“Certainly! That’s it. I’m done running from myself!” Sumire prepared herself for combat as Joker appeared at her side, grinning at her.

“Let’s do this, Violet.”

“ **Makougaon!** ” At her call, Cendrillon summoned a blast of blessed magic that dispatched their foes instantly.

“Nice job, Violet.”

She felt herself blush instantly. “Um, thank you, Joker-senpai. Sorry for troubling you. I’ll be fine now.”

You were impressive as always out there. Well done, Violet!” Mona cheered.

“Thank you. I still have a lot to learn, though. I promise I’ll do my best not to slow you down!”

Panther giggled. “C’mon, you don’t have to be so formal with us.”

“Sorry. And the same goes for you too, Joker-senpai… I hope you’ll still be there for me.”

Joker smiled. “Of course, I’ll be there. Now and forever.”

  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The exploration of the Palace had left Sumire feeling incredibly drained, but also oddly invigorated. It reminded her of the feeling she got after she had done a particularly good job at practice. It was a feeling that made her want to do nothing more than collapse on her bed and have a restful sleep. Based on the time she arrived home, she assumed her parents had arrived before her.

“Mom! Dad! I’m home!” She called when she walked in the door.

“There you are, Sumire! You didn’t have practice today, so we were wondering why you were home so late.” Shinichi said.

Sumire wasn’t sure how to respond. She knew she couldn’t tell them the truth, because obviously she couldn’t but she hadn’t thought of what to say if her parents asked her.

“Um… ah… I was… oh! I was hanging out with Senpai and his friends.” It wasn’t a total lie, so she didn’t feel too bad about it.

Suddenly, Sumire’s mother appeared from seemingly nowhere. “OOOOOO! You were with him again, were you? Tell me everything!”

Sumire blushed furiously. “Mom! It wasn’t like that at all! It’s a big group and we were just talking.”

“I know. I’m just teasing you, Sumire.”

She thought of everything that had happened over the past few days, and how much she must have worried her parents since Kasumi’s death, and she decided she needed to talk with them.

“Mom… Dad… Can we talk… about Kasumi?”

Both of them looked at her with surprise. “Of course, we can. We didn’t want to force you if you weren’t ready.” Shinichi said gently.

“I wasn’t, but I am now. I know you’ve been worried about me and the way I’ve been acting hasn’t been helping any… I blamed myself for Kasumi’s death… I thought that… I should have been the one to die instead of her. I decided that if Kasumi couldn’t live to accomplish her dream, that… I should take her place, live on as Kasumi because I thought that she was the one everyone wanted. It reached the point where I was convincing people I met that I was Kasumi. But I’m not going to run away anymore. I’m going to keep living my life as Sumire. Because that’s what Kasumi would want… and that’s what I want. I’m sorry for worrying you so much…. I’m a terrible daughter…”

Both her parents moved to her and wrapped her in hugs. “You’re not terrible. We should have done more to try and help you.” Her father said.

Sumire began to cry. “It isn’t your fault. You two are part of the reason I was able to find the strength to carry on. If it weren’t for the people in my life and all the love and support they gave me, I’d never have made it this far.”

The family stood together, crying out the emotions that had been building up within them, ready to move into the future together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slight delay between this chapter and the last one. I was in this weird place when I started writing this chapter where I wasn't happy with anything I was writing. So after a couple days of erasing and restarting I just took a couple days off of writing, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out in the end. Let me know what you thought, and I hope you enjoyed!


	14. The Shoes You've Chosen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sumire opens up and learns how to move forward.

**January 13th**

The school day had come to an end, and Sumire once more found herself standing outside the doorway to classroom 2-D, debating whether or not to go in. Ren was sitting at his desk, talking with a blue haired boy about… something. She couldn’t hear what they were saying.

‘I really want to talk to Senpai, but do we have time for that? We need to deal with Dr. Maruki…’

Getting lost in her thoughts again, Sumire didn’t notice the classroom door open, nor that her raven haired senpai was now standing in front of her. “Sumi? What are you doing here?”

“AH! Oh, hi Senpai. Sorry for reacting like that, I got lost in my own head and I didn’t see you there… But, that doesn’t answer your question does it? Sorry about that…” Sumire trailed off.

“You’re rambling a bit, Sumi. It’s okay, just take a deep breath and calm down.”

“Um… I wanted to talk to you about something. But now that I’m asking out loud, I realize that I probably shouldn’t have bothered, we have to deal with Dr. Maruki and everything… I’m gonna go home, just forget I even asked. Let me know if we’re going into the Palace.”

“No, wait. It’s fine. We have plenty of time and I don’t want you fighting if you’re not able to focus. Besides, I told you I’ll always be there for you so if you want to talk to me, then let’s go.”

“Thank you, Senpai. Um, can we go somewhere else? It’s a bit difficult to talk about it here… It’s… personal.”

“Of course. Here, let’s go to the roof.”

Sumire wasn’t sure where to start when they arrived on the roof, so she decided to start with an apology. “Senpai… um… I… I’m so, so sorry!” She apologized profusely.

“What’s this all about?”

“Seeing me trying to act like Kasumi must have been so painful and awkward for everyone… Everyone must have noticed that I was acting strangely… They were probably just being nice to me, knowing I’d just lost my sister… But even then, I had no idea I was even supposed to be sad. I didn’t remember that my sister was gone. When my coach told me to ‘think about who I really am’ I thought it was just… figurative. Something about my slump. I was just living my life- like I didn’t even care that she was gone! I can’t take this shame…”

Ren placed a hand on her shoulder. “Sumire, none of that was your fault. There was nothing you could do.”

“I know that… but even still, how can I forgive myself? Ever since we were kids, Kasumi was the one who decided everything for me. What I did, where I went… she even made my choices for me. I depended on her to do everything for me… when she died, it was like I lost a part of myself. I’m starting to remember things from our past now. It’s hard, but I’m trying. There’s a lot that’s been surfacing lately, starting all the way back to when Kasumi and I first got into gymnastics when we were kids up until just recently. So, I wanted to tell you about how it used to be for Kasumi and me. Would you listen?”

“I’d love to. Let’s sit down.”

After they got settled, Sumire took a deep breath before beginning her story.

“Kasumi started doing gymnastics when we were really young. I was even younger, so I just started copying her and going to the classes. We were too young to really understand the sport or the rules, but we were praised every time we did well, and we would get little rewards, like ice cream cones. We did our best to learn the moves and routines, since it kept getting us ice cream.”

Ren chuckled. “So, you did it all for ice cream? How young were you two again?”

Sumire giggled. “We were pretty young. We obviously weren’t in it for the ice cream forever, though. If I were, I don’t think I’d still be doing gymnastics.”

“In all seriousness, it sounds like the two of you were really close.”

“We were together every day. Kasumi wasn’t just my sister, she was my best friend. We ate our favorite ice cream together, talking and laughing. Those days were so fun. But one day when we were coming home from practice, Kasumi turned to me and she asked me: ‘If we can become number one in the world, does that mean we’d get all the ice cream we could eat?’ She said it all with a straight face. She was really funny sometimes. Obviously, I told her, ‘Kasumi, you’re a super genius!’”

“Ah, so the truth comes out. It _was_ all for the ice cream!” He laughed, making Sumire laugh as well.

“Maybe it was. But, Kasumi really was a genius. Everything always came so easily to her, and every day she got even better. Remember, a long time ago how I told you that my coach said that Kasumi’s greatest weapon was her boldness? She was always such a beacon of hope and confidence. Kind of like you actually, Senpai. But one day I realized that no matter how hard I worked; I’d never catch up to her. That realization was brutal… but even after it, when Kasumi earned her ice cream, she never ate it without me. She’d always say that she’d wait for me so we could eat it together… Kasumi really believed in me… She had her own practice to worry about, but she was always helping me out… spending hours that she could have spent improving herself trying to help me improve. I wish I had realized that before it was too late…”

“She must have cared about you a lot.”

“She did. Kasumi was so kind and strong… the perfect older sister. The way she was always so kind it was so… infuriating. She always succeeded in everything she did, while I was stuck lagging behind, struggling to come anywhere close to what she could do. I’m not Kasumi and I never will be!

Ren remained quiet for a moment. “…Then don’t be.”

“Huh?”

“You’re right. You aren’t Kasumi, and you never will be.” Sumire dropped her gaze. “But that’s not a bad thing. You are your own person. You’re Sumire, and that’s all you ever need to be. You’re perfect just as you are.”

“Senpai…” Sumire whispered.

“I’ve said this a few times, but you need to believe in yourself more. Be proud of who you are. I want you to do something for me. Look me in the eye.”

Sumire raised her head, but failed to look Ren in the eyes “I… I can’t.”

“Well, in that case.” Ren reached forward, lightly placing his index finger and thumb on her chin and gently moved her head until their eyes met. “There we go. Now you don’t have to do it yourself. So, you ready?”

She nodded.

“Good. I want you to say something. Repeat after me. ‘I am Sumire Yoshizawa.’”

“I am Sumire Yoshizawa.” She mumbled.

“Not like that. You’re saying it like it’s a bad thing. Be proud of who you are. You are Sumire Yoshizawa. You need to be able to say that with confidence and pride. To tell the world ‘this is who I am and there’s no one I’d rather be.’

“I don’t know if I can do that… That’s just too hard…”

“I never said it would be easy. But I know you can do it.”

“Thank you… You know Senpai, you kind of remind me of Kasumi. Maybe that was what drew me to you.”

“Thanks, but flattery won’t get you out of this. Tell me who you are.”

“Huh!?”

“Who are you?”

“Um… I am Sumire Yoshizawa.” She said, hesitantly.

“Don’t hesitate.”

“I am Sumire Yoshizawa.”

“Louder.”

“I am Sumire Yoshizawa!”

This pattern continued until Sumire was practically screaming her own name for all to hear and both of them were laughing at the situation.

“Do you feel any better?” Ren asked after they had calmed down.

“A little. I still feel pretty unconfident in myself, but I’m going to work on it. And I’m going to keep going, no matter what. How else could I face Kasumi?”

“That’s good. Don’t worry, I’ll be there with you, every step of the way.”

“Thank you, Senpai. You must think I’m pretty lame… but that’s who I am. That’s Sumire.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. You’re great, Sumire. We should go before someone finds us up here. We weren’t exactly being stealthy.”

“That’s your own fault, Senpai.”

Ren shrugged before standing up and walking toward the door. “I wasn’t the one screaming my own name. So, are you coming or not?”

**January 14th**

‘Is this really a good idea? I just spent time with him yesterday and I made him listen to my rambling the entire time… I don’t want him to take all of his time… and he probably wants to work on our infiltration of Dr. Maruki’s Palace… But I really want to spend more time with him…’

Sumire sat staring at her phone, debating over whether or not she should text Ren when she received a text from him instead.

 _Ren:_ Hey Sumi, you doing anything today?

 _Sumire:_ Shouldn’t we be focusing on the Palace?

 _Ren:_ We’re fine. We’re typically able to get our entire exploration done in just a day or two.

 _Sumire:_ Oh. Well in that case, my coach is putting on a special class and I was thinking of taking it.

 _Sumire:_ It’s not a gymnastics thing, though.

 _Sumire:_ It centers around boxercising. It relieves stress and is open to the public.

 _Sumire:_ Would you like to join me?

 _Ren:_ Sounds cool. I’m in.

 _Sumire:_ Great! It’s at the gym in Shibuya. I’ll meet you there.

 _Sumire:_ I can introduce you to coach Hiraguchi once my lesson ends.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“Kasumi helped me through this special regimen several times. It gets tough after a while. Your limbs start to feel heavier the longer you keep them up. Whenever we did this before, all I could think about was how well Kasumi was doing and how much I wanted to stop. She was probably so disappointed in me… I got tired out so quick… I know I disappointed myself, at least. Kasumi never doubted herself for a second… and then there’s me…”

“Sumire, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s normal to feel a little bit of self-doubt. Just don’t let it get the best of you.”

“I’ll try to keep that in mind. It’s almost time for my coach to get here here. I’m kind of nervous.”

“Is she strict?”

“You could say that. She’s tough on us, but she’s a great mentor. She’s been helping Kasumi and me for a long time. Even through all my stupid delusions as Kasumi, she never stopped helping me… I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

Hiraguchi arrived as Sumire and Ren continued talking.

“Hello, Coach Hiraguchi!”

“Sumire…? Maybe it’s just my imagination, but you seem like you’re back to your old self again.”

“Yes… I’m sorry for worrying you. I’ve been running away from what happened to Kasumi, but I’m ready to face it now.”

“So you realized. Are you feeling better?”

“I’m not totally back to my normal self, but I’m working towards a new goal. I want to be the best in the world… So now, I’m going to do what I can as Sumire.”

“I see. By the way, who’s this?”

“Oh, this is Amamiya-senpai. He’s my… friend.” Sumire said, speaking the last part slowly. “We both came here for a lesson.”

“Oh, so you’re… Fine. Let’s have you go first, Sumire. You can start with your combination.”

“Y-yes, ma’am.”

“You’ve got this!” Ren cheered from the sidelines.

“Right.” Sumire put up her fists and began to quickly and aggressively punch the pads that Hiraguchi held up with everything she had. When she finished, she overheard a conversation between two other participants in the class who were clearly impressed with her.

“Wow, she’s got some amazing moves.”

“That was so freakin’ fast… She’s really has those aggressive moves down. She really is just like her sister…”

Coach Hiraguchi stayed silent for a minute. “Okay, you can take a break. We’ll do some more later.”

“Thank you very much!” Sumire panted.

Sumire took the time to tell Ren how everything worked, complete with her showing off some more of her moves. Coach Hiraguchi returned a few minutes later.

“Thanks for all your help today. So, how did I do? I tried to put some real force into that combination.”

“You said you were going to perform as Sumire this time. I didn’t see that at all. All I saw out there was Kasumi… or a shadow of her, at least. Kasumi defined her performance by her boldness, yes. But that’s not something you can appropriate for yourself. It came from the energy within her. That’s what made her Kasumi. I told you to think about who you really are. Seems like you don’t understand what I meant. You need to stop hiding behind Kasumi. If you keep denying yourself like this, how can she still call you her rival?”

“Huh!? What’s that supposed to…?”

“I never wanted to draw attention to it, but Kasumi had a very competitive streak. She hated to lose. She would always tell me that she was so jealous of her little sister and her delicate, graceful style. She’d always say, ‘I can’t lose to her.’ She wanted you to see that.”

“She… she said that?” Sumire lowered her gaze. “Th-That’s… impossible. Kasumi could do anything, and I… I was nothing…”

“I’ve said what I wanted to. I want you to think a little harder about it.” Hiraguchi turned to Ren. “Okay, now it’s your turn. Get ready!”

Sumire moved to the wall to watch while out of the way. Ren’s movements were quick and precise, but also strong.

‘I guess it makes sense… He has been spending the past year as a Phantom Thief. He’s amazing as usual… He probably spends a lot of time exercising and toning his… body…’ Sumire blushed at the direction her own thoughts were going. ‘Oh, what are you thinking, Sumire!’ She lightly clapped her hands on her cheeks twice to snap herself out of it. ‘I’ll never be able to keep up with them…’ Sumire sighed.

Ren had finished his set and had walked over to Sumire. “You okay? That was a pretty big sigh.”

“Thank you, but I’m fine. I noticed she was quite impressed with your physical abilities. I guess that’s no surprise, though. But compared to you… I was pitiful. Me, graceful? Now that I think about it, I guess that is the one thing my coach used to compliment me on. But even with that, I couldn’t match Kasumi’s performance at all. And now she says Kasumi saw me as a rival…? I don’t believe it. I mean, all I was doing was imitating her. Even since the beginning, I was just following Kasumi… That was fine in the beginning. I loved being with Kasumi, and it was fun. But ever since I started noticing the difference in our gymnastics skills, one thing became clear… I’ll always be someone less than Kasumi. I’m just worthless after all…”

“Sumire, that isn’t true.”

“Thank you for saying that. You’re very kind, Senpai.”

“I’m not just saying it to be nice. Sumire, you are not worthless. I’ll say that as many times as it takes for you to finally realize how great you are.”

“Um… thank you… Still, I realized something from what coach said. Just like how Kasumi wanted to show me what she could do, I want you to see my abilities. Like how I tried to show off at the batting cages. Even though I failed miserably back then… But I think that might be the feeling I need to chase. Maybe that can help me get some confidence. It sounded like even Kasumi liked my more delicate and graceful style, so if I can figure out how to combine that with Kasumi’s more aggressive style…”

“It’ll be like a duet.” Ren chimed in.

“Exactly! It could help me step up my routine! If the key is showing you what I can do, then I just need you to watch me again..! Senpai, will you go out with me again?”

“Is this a love confession, Sumi?” Ren smirked.

Sumire’s face burned. “L-l-love!? I-I mean, um… I didn’t mean it… not like that! Iwasjusthopingtogetyourhelpand… um… wait are you just messing with me Senpai? You’re too good at that…”

Ren seemed disappointed, but didn’t say anything.

“I hope you know that I really will be relying on you, Senpai! Oh, is it time to leave already? Let’s get going then.”

**January 16th**

“Oh, this is _so_ working for you! I know you said you wanted people to see you, so I put together something a little more wild and eye-catching.”

“Wow, it feels like I’m like a totally different person.” Sumire looked at herself in the mirror. Her outfit was brightly covered, covered in leopard print with a pair of sunglasses over her eyes.

“You’ve got some of that carnivore energy, and a little of that herbivore meekness too. This savannah style will definitely turn heads!”

“I see…” She mumbled.

‘I wonder what Senpai will think of this outfit…’

Ren appeared around the corner and Sumire waved to him. “Oh, there you are Senpai! I’m glad you made it!”

He started laughing the second he saw her, looking her up and down. “What are you wearing?”

“I wanted to surprise you, so I got here a little early to dress up. I told the staff here that I wanted people to see me and tried this on based on their advice. What do you think? I’ve definitely been getting attention in this. Some people are even staring! This is sort of like showing off my own style, right!?”

“Sumi, I don’t really think that’s the kind of attention you were trying to go for. In that, you’re just standing out. People aren’t noticing you; they’re noticing the outfit. I don’t think this is really your style.”

She felt puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“You aren’t the over the top, extravagant type, you know? I could see Yusuke wearing an outfit like that, but this isn’t you.”

“So, you don’t like it? I thought it was pretty cool… Though, to be honest, I could tell something was a little off. I’ll get changed.”

‘I really hoped this would help me find the answer to my problems… guess I screwed this up just like everything else…’

After she finished changing she returned to Ren. “Sorry about that Senpai. I was really hoping that this would help me, but it looks like this whole plan was a bust…”

“Maybe not. We’re still here, so why don’t you go and pick something else out.”

“Will you help me?”

“No. No, I won’t.”

“But… I’ve never done this before… I don’t know what to do…”

“You want to learn how to stand on your own. Let this be your first step towards that. You’ve can do this. It’s just picking out clothes, there’s no pressure.”

“Okay… come on, Sumire.” She wandered around the store for a while, looking at different outfits and wondering how to decide what to try on, but nothing stood out. She began muttering to herself. “I want people to see me, to notice me. But I don’t just want to stand out. I want to be seen for who I am… but how do I want to be seen? How do I want people to see me? Maybe I should narrow it down to someone important… someone like Senpai. How do I want Senpai to see me? Senpai… Senpai…”

“Uh, is everything okay, Sumi?”

“Huh?”

“You keep muttering ‘Senpai.’”

“Oh, sorry about that. I’m just thinking out loud. And don’t look at me like that…”

“What, I can’t look at you?” He said with a grin.

“If you look at me, I don’t know what to do! Oh! Maybe it shouldn’t be so one-sided! If I give other people attention, then surely I’ll get attention in return! I’m gonna keep looking.”

She went back to looking at clothes with her new strategy in mind, eventually stumbling upon a violet colored dress.

“I think I’ll try on this one! Wait, but don’t look yet, Senpai! I want it to be a surprise!” She grabbed the dress and rushed into the fitting room.

‘I… I like it! It looks nice.’ She thought once she had finished changing. ‘I wonder what Senpai will think. Although, would it be so bad if he doesn’t like it?’

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Senpai. What do you think?” She asked, coming out of the fitting room and twirling around to show him the back.

Ren looked at her and smiled. “I’m in love.”

“Wh-what!? D-did you just say what I think you just said!?”

‘H-he didn’t mean that right? N-not like that anyway… there’s no chance…’

“You meant with the o-outfit, right!? You’re just ‘in love’ with the outfit! Don’t worry, I get it!”

Ren shifted his gaze, and seemed to blush ever so slightly. “Yeah… the… outfit… that’s… what I meant. I’m in love… with the outfit… nothing else.”

They stood in silence for a bit eventually Sumire broke it. “Anyway… I realized something while I was putting this on. I realized that I liked it, and that was all that mattered. The fact that you did like it was just an added bonus.”

“That’s how it should be. I’m guessing you’re getting that then. As cute as you look in that dress, you’re gonna have to change so we can pay for it.”

“Right.”

After changing out of the dress again, Sumire went to pay.

“Here, let me.” Ren said, pulling out his money Sumire was searching for hers.

“You don’t have to buy it for me, Senpai!”

“I want to. It’ll be a gift. Or maybe you can think of it as a reward for taking your first big step forward. Whichever you prefer.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s getting pretty late, so we should probably both head home. I’ll see you, Sumi.”

“Bye Senpai.”

‘He seemed really strange after I asked him what he thought about the dress… I wonder if he really did mean what he said… that he’s in love… when he said that, did he really mean that he was I love with… me? No… there’s no chance. Senpai is so amazing that he could be with anyone he wanted… why would he fall in love with someone like me? I certainly fell for him… I wish I had the courage to tell him that. But, maybe I need to… maybe that’s how I can push myself further… I said I wouldn’t run away from myself anymore, maybe that should be how I start…’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really have anything to say here, so I'll just say that I hope you liked this chapter!


	15. The Ball Awaits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sumire works up the courage to reveal her true feelings.

**January 18th**

‘I wonder is Senpai is busy today… I don’t have practice, so I’d like to see him if I can. The next time I see him, I’ll tell him how I feel, and hopefully he’ll feel the same way and then he’ll be my… yeah, right. Like that’ll happen… but even if he doesn’t feel the same, I still need to tell him. But, he probably wants to deal with Dr. Maruki soon…’ Sumire’s mind dissolved back into thoughts of Ren, sighing happily, only snapping out of it at the sound of his voice.

“Hey, Sumi. What are you up to?”

“Oh, hi Senpai. I’m not doing anything, what about you?

“I was just in the area and saw you. Do you want to hang out?”

“H-hang out!? But we haven’t gone back to the Palace once yet! Shouldn’t we do something before it’s too late?”

“Don’t overthink it. We still have more than enough time.”

“If you’re sure, then I guess it’s fine. I’d really like to talk to you. Can we go somewhere we can have a quiet conversation?”

“Yeah, how about you come over?”

“C-come over!? Like, t-to your house!? I don’t know if I’m ready for that…”

“Sumi, I meant we should go to Leblanc. Although, now that I think about it, I do live there, so in a sense it is kind of like my house…”

“Leblanc sounds fine. Let’s get going.”

The trip back to Yongen was uneventful, with the two making idle conversation on the train ride, but Sumire’s thoughts were elsewhere.

‘Calm down, Sumire. This is exactly what you wanted. You wanted an opportunity to confess to him, and here it is. It’s not that hard. It’s only three words. ‘I love you.’ That’s it. Just three simple words. You can do it. But, what if I can’t? What if it comes time for me to tell him and I just can’t do it? Wouldn’t that be typical of me…? No… I promised I wouldn’t run away anymore and I’m not going to. I can do this. I _will_ do this. Maybe I should practice for a bit, that way I won’t feel nervous about it.’ She spent the remainder of the ride repeating the phrase ‘I love you, Senpai.’ Over and over in her mind.

“Ah, you’re back. I see you’re with Sumire-san as well. It’s nice to see you.” Sojiro greeted once they arrived at the café.

Sumire bowed. “Hello there, Sakura-san.”

“I was about to go out and pick up some stuff, seeing as there’s no customers right now so watch the store for me will you, kid?” Sojiro asked.

“You got it, Boss.” Ren replied.

Morgana hopped out of Ren’s bag onto the floor. “I’ll leave you two alone so you can talk privately.” He said as he followed Sojiro out the door.

“Looks like it’s just us now. Do you want anything? I can make you some coffee or curry.”

“Some coffee sounds wonderful if you don’t mind.”

He grabbed an apron and threw it on. “Coming right up.”

Sumire remained silent while Ren prepared the coffee as not to distract him. ‘It’s just like I thought. I feel so nervous now that we’re here… what if I can’t bring myself to confess to him? That would be awful…’

Ren placed the finished cup of coffee in front of her. “Here you go. I hope you like it.”

“Thank you, Senpai.” She took a sip. Even though he had only made coffee for her a few times, he had already memorized the way she liked it, and had prepared it perfectly to her taste. “It’s delicious, as usual.”

Ren winked. “Only the best for you.”

“Why do you have to tease me all the time?” She whined, blushing.

“Because it’s fun. But I know you wanted to talk, so I’ll stop for now.”

“Well, there are a couple of things I want to talk to you about. I’ve been thinking about how to improve my routine by combining my strengths with Kasumi’s. I’m planning on showing my coach tomorrow, and I’d like you to be there, if you’re able. After all, I’ve only come this far because you’ve been there for me. Are you willing to come?”

Ren pretended to be thinking hard. “I don’t know, what’s in it for me?”

“You’ll get to see me perform my routine for the first time. Or is that not enough for you?”

“Or course, I’ll come watch you.”

“Thanks a lot. But, that’s not the main reason I wanted to talk to you today. Because I’m committed to not running from my feelings anymore, I feel like I need to tell you this. When Coach Hiraguchi told me, about how Kasumi always performed her best when he had I watched her, and how I always pushed her to be better, even without realizing it, I wasn’t sure what to think at first. But, then I thought about it, and I realized that I’m the same way. There’s someone special to me who pushes me to be better, someone who whenever they’re watching me, I feel like I can do anything. I bet you can guess who that person is for me, huh?”

“Morgana.” Ren replied without missing a beat.

“Yep! You got it!” Sumire giggled. “In all seriousness, I thought about it, and I realized that for me, that special person was obviously you, Senpai. Whenever I’m around you, I feel like I can always do my best. You make me feel like I can do anything, when I’m with you, it feels like my insecurities and self-doubt just melt away and all my worries don’t seem important anymore. And, the more I thought about it, I started to realize what those feelings mean. Senpai, I’m in l… in lo… I’m in lo…”

‘Of course… the moment of truth is finally here, and I can’t bring myself to spit the stupid words out! Why am I like this!?’

“Take your time.”

Sumire took a moment to collect herself before continuing. “Senpai, I’m in love with you. But, the last thing I want is to make you feel uncomfortable! I know you might not feel the same way, and it’s obviously fine if you don’t, I don’t want to pressure you into anything. I’m rambling aren’t I? I’m not even giving you room to think, much less actually respond, I’ll stop talking now…”

‘I… I did it. I told him how I feel. I wonder what he’s thinking right now. What if he’s already said something and I missed it because I’m not paying attention and getting lost in my own head!?’ She took a deep breath and braced herself for the worst.

Ren smiled. “I love you, too.”

“Wait? You… you love me back? So, it’s mutual then? D-does that mean that you’ll be my boyfriend!?”

“I’m no expert, but I believe that’s usually the next step after two people confess their love for each other.”

“W-well I guess that’s what I was hoping for, it’s just that there’s some part of me that never really thought you’d feel the same and I had prepared more for rejection than anything else. I wasn’t fully sure that I’d even be able to tell you how I felt, so I’m just kind of reeling from the fact that I not only managed to confess, but that you reciprocated my feelings. This is real, right?”

Ren chuckled. “Want me to pinch you?”

“Not really. If this is a dream, then I don’t want it to end.”

“For what it’s worth, I can assure you that this is all real.”

“Good. But, now that we’re… a couple. Can you do something for me?”

“Anything.”

“I want you to look at me. I’d like to know if it feels any different when you watch me now. Actually, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, I guess this is a rather strange request.”

Ren grinned at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Before Sumire could even think about what he was about to do, he suddenly leaned over the counter, staring directly into her eyes, holding himself up by one hand.

“Feel any different?”

Sumire was too shocked by his sudden actions to respond, a blush blooming on her face.

Ren’s grin grew larger as he leaned even closer, placing his other hand on the counter to brace himself. “How about now?”

Her face grew hotter than it ever had before as he moved ever closer.

“S-S-S-Senpai!?” Sumire instinctively held up her hands, which were shaking uncontrollably.

The mischievous grin on Ren’s face grew into a genuine smile. “You’re so cute. And also extremely red. Between your face and your hair, you look like a strawberry. An adorable little strawberry.”

“T-that’s because it’s embarrassing with you being s-so c-c-close to me! But at the same time, I want to be even closer to you.” She moved her face closer still to Ren’s. They were now mere inches away from each other, so close that Sumire could feel Ren’s breath against her face. “If we get any closer, we’ll bump our glasses together. But, we could always take them off.”

“How bold of you. You really have grown a lot these past few days.”

Sumire giggled. “I learned from the best. Now, we still have something in the way don’t we?” She reached her hand toward Ren’s face, grabbing his glasses and carefully removing them before removing her own pair. “There we go. Much bett-”

She felt a jolt run up her spine as Ren claimed the remaining space between them, lightly pressing his lips against hers. Sumire backed away slightly in surprise.

Ren looked worried. “Is everything okay, Sumi?”

“Y-yes. It’s just that… that was my f-first k-kiss and I wasn’t sure what to do, so I just kind of panicked. I’m so sorry, I messed everything up. I totally ruined the moment didn’t-”

Ren cut her off with another kiss, one which Sumire happily returned. Sumire wished they could stay like this forever, but were forcibly separated by the need to breathe.

They rested their foreheads against each other for a moment while catching their breath before Sumire dove back in for another kiss, only to be greeted by nothing but air. Before she could fully register that Ren was no longer in front of her, he spun around the stool she was on, lifted her up in a hug and slid into a booth where he placed her gently on his lap while pulling her back in for another kiss. After what felt like an eternity, they reluctantly pulled apart again.

“Sumire, I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Ren.” Sumire leaned down to rest her head on Ren’s shoulder. Ren gently kissed the top of her head and began running his hands through her hair. Sumire melted at his touch, a wave of contentment washing over her. They remained like this, simply enjoying each other’s presence in silence until the bell at Leblanc’s door chimed, as Sojiro entered the café, followed by Futaba and Morgana.

Sojiro looked around as he entered. “You really got up to all this while I was gone? It wasn’t even that long. Hoo boy, kid.”

“Mweheheheh. So, you two finally decided to stop pretending you aren’t totally into each other?”

“I could sense that you had something important to talk about, so I decided to leave you alone. Call it my gentleman’s intuition.”

“AH! N-n-n-nothing happened!”

“Is that so? Because in case you haven’t noticed, you’re still sitting in his lap, little lady.”

Realizing that she was indeed still in Ren’s lap, she slid off of him into the booth seat, her face burning red again. She tried to stammer out a response, but couldn’t.

“Don’t worry Boss, it’s not like there’s ever any customers in here that we would scare off.”

“Senpai! Don’t be mean!”

Sumire had reached peak embarrassment from the crowd that had suddenly interrupted their moment and now she just wanted to get away from it “Um, it’s getting a bit crowded in here. And I should probably get going anyway.” As she moved to leave, Ren slipped his hand into hers.

“I’ll walk you to the station.”

“You don’t need to do that, Senpai.”

“Yes, I do. Besides, I want to.”

Futaba pretended to gag as Ren and Sumire walked past.

“Do you really need to leave or were you just embarrassed about being caught like that and wanted to get out of there?” He asked once they were outside.

“How did you know that?”

“Because I know you. Also, your face was so red, I was worried that you weren’t getting enough blood flow to your brain and were about to pass out.”

“Now you’re embarrassing me.”

“But you’re my girlfriend. I get to embarrass you; it makes you even cuter.”

“Can you… can you say that again? Please?”

“What, the part about you getting cuter when you’re embarrassed or the part about you being my girlfriend?

“The girlfriend part. It’s just that I’m still having a hard time believing that this is real. The fact that you feel the same way about me that I do about you feels like a dream come true. I know I already said this, but I never really expected you to feel the same.”

Ren chuckled. “Honestly, I thought you already knew. I don’t think I did a very good job of hiding it.”

“I didn’t think it was possible for you to love me back. I even doubted myself in that regard. Even though you did just come right out and say it quite a few times.”

“Even though you couldn’t see it, you really did steal my heart.”

“Just as you stole mine, Mr. Phantom Thief.”

The couple laughed together as they continued to walk hand in hand until it got late and Sumire really did need to go home.

Later that night, she sat on her bed staring at her phone and thinking about what had happened.

‘Today was absolutely amazing. Senpai and I are dating now! I still can’t believe it’s real… I want to talk to him some more, but we were just together a little while ago! If I call him so soon, he’ll think I’m being clingy!’

Before she knew it, she had already entered his number into her phone and called him. Ren, of course, picked up almost immediately, giving her no time to back out.

“Oh! Um… hi, Senpai.”

“How are you, my love? And why do you sound surprised? After all, you called me.”

“I… ah… wasn’t expecting you to pick up so fast.”

“You are absolutely adorable.”

“Senpai!” Sumire whined.

“I can feel you blushing right now. So, what’s going on?”

“I wanted to hear your voice…” Sumire mumbled.

“What was that?”

“I wanted to hear your voice. I’m sorry, I know that I’m being clingy and selfish by taking up even more of your time today. I’ll hang up now.”

“Wait, no don’t go! I wanted to hear your voice, too. To be honest, I was thinking of calling you myself. And don’t worry about being about that stuff. You can be as clingy and selfish as you want with me. I’ll always want to talk to you.”

“T-thank you. I probably shouldn’t keep you too much longer, it’s getting pretty late. I should get to bed, too. I need to be ready to show off my routine tomorrow.”

“You can do this. I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do, Sumi. I love you.”

“I love you, too Goodnight.”

Sumire hung up the phone and went to sleep, where she relived the events of the afternoon once again in her dreams.

**January 19th**

Sumire could feel her nerves mounting as she changed into her performance costume. ‘I really hope Coach Hiraguchi likes my new routine… what am I going to do if she doesn’t? Does that mean I’m nothing but a failure…? No, thinking like this is just going to psych myself out. I can’t afford to mess this up. You can do this, Sumire. Ren’s out there waiting for you to wow him. You can’t let him down.’ After finishing her pep talk, she finally headed out to the main part of the gymnasium. She found Ren absentmindedly looking at his phone while he waited for her.

“Senpai!” She called out as she headed to him.

“You look radiant today, Sumi.”

“Thank you, Senpai.”

“Are you nervous?”

“A little, but I’m feeling more excited than anything.”

“Then, I’ll feel nervous for you this time.”

“Maybe that’s why I’m able to keep my composure.”

Soon after, Coach Hiraguchi finally arrived.

“Ah… thank you for making time to observe me today. I really wanted to get an unbiased evaluation from you.”

“You’ve got a good look on your face today, Sumire.”

“Yes ma’am. I’m confident in the routine I’m about to perform.”

“well, at first glance I’d say you look like you’ve got it all figured out- but! I’m here you gauge your routine, not just let you brag about it. Now begin!”

“Ma’am.”

Sumire moved onto the mat to begin and got into her new starting form. She could hear faint sounds of talking coming from the edge where Hiraguchi and Ren were watching her, but she couldn’t make out what was being said. ‘All right, let’s start.’ She thought to herself and began to move. Sumire moved like flowing water, every spin and twirl of her ribbon was executed perfectly, graceful and swift, but with a bold confidence that shone through with every move. The routine wasn’t very long, but by the end she was gasping for breath as she walked back over her observers.

“Thank you for watching!”

“You’ve grown so much, Sumire. I’m sure this is no surprise to you, but the path to international success will be harsh and relentless. Are you ready?”

“Absolutely! I _will_ be number one in the world of gymnastics! I will make our dream a reality!”

“Glad to hear you’re do sure. With your natural grace and the dedication to reach the gauntlet, no matter how far it is from your grasp… your dream is no longer impossible. And you’re the one who decided that, not me.”

“Huh?”

“You didn’t even realize it, did you? Today’s the first time you’ve told me you will win on an international level. Until today, you’d only tell me, ‘I hope I win.’ Perhaps you even have someone special… the person who makes you want to dance just for them.” Hiraguchi smiled and glanced over at Ren next to her.

“Well, that’s… um, I, ah…” Sumire stammered.

“My, it seems you haven’t quite made a total transformation.”

“Don’t rush it.” Ren said encouragingly.

“It’s good to hear you have someone who really understands you in your corner. Your performance today truly was impressive. I’m looking forward to your next lesson already.” With that, Hiraguchi left the two alone.

“Coach Hiraguchi… like my routine.”

“It’s only natural. You’ve been working so hard, after all.”

“I guess you’re right. But it feels like I’ve finally found my footing.. Thanks to you, I feel like I’ve finally found the answer I’ve been searching for… as well as discovering what’s most important to me while performing.”

“Is it someone you love?”

“Do I really have to spell it out? I’ve learned all sorts of things from my time with you. Now I can show everyone how I really feel- and the two of us can take the crown of the gymnastics world!”

A strange feeling began to wash over Sumire. In her mind, she saw Cendrillon begin to glow before transforming completely. The first thing she noticed was how similar in appearance her new form was to Arsène. She could tell that she had truly grown stronger. ‘This is the new me… I’ve finally found it!’ She thought as the name of her new Persona rang in her mind. ‘Vanadis…’

As the feeling faded, Sumire felt her body begin to tremble a bit.

“I know it’s a bit late, but… I can feel my body start to shake. I think it’s finally hitting me… I managed to really give it my best…”

“You were amazing out there. I couldn’t take my eyes off you if I wanted to.”

“Really? Then I’m glad I pushed myself hard enough for you to see my best. Senpai, I have a favor to ask. Um… will you hold me tight, like before?”

Ren said nothing, but smiled as he wrapped her in a tight embrace.

“Oh no, I thought this would stop my shaking, but now it feels like my heart’s about to burst…”

“Well, you’d better get used to it, because I don’t want to let you go.”

“Good. If I can just hang onto this warm place in my mind… I feel like I can push myself further than I’ve ever gone before. I love you, Ren. Now and forever…”

“I love you too, Sumi. Nothing will ever change that.”

The couple held each other tightly, neither wanting to let the other go. But after a while, Ren spoke up.

“I know I said I don’t want to let go of you, but we need to leave eventually. We should get going.”

Sumire hugged him tighter. “But I want to spend more time with you! I don’t want you to leave yet!”

“Who said anything about me leaving yet? I just meant we should leave the gym. Come on, I have an idea.”

“Fine. I’ll be back in a minute.”

‘What could he be planning? I never can tell what he’s thinking…’ Sumire thought as she changed.

“I’m ready, Senpai. So, what’s this idea of yours?”

“You’ll find out. Just wait and see.” Ren took her hand and guided her to the station. A short train ride later, and they ended up in Kichijoji where he brought her to a small ice cream shop.

“You said that whenever you’d do well in practice, you’d always get ice cream as a reward. So, I figured we could get some ice cream together.”

“Are you sure about this? I appreciate the gesture, Senpai, but it is the middle of January. Not exactly the best ice cream weather.”

“Yeah, it is a bit chilly for ice cream, huh? But, I know the perfect way to keep warm, no matter how cold it is.”

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into the shop. After ordering and Ren paid, they wandered through the streets of Kichijoji, sharing the ice cream and holding each other close. It was pretty cold, but feeling him so close to her filled her with a feeling of warmth and comfort.

“I’m thinking of wearing my hair up again. That way, I can carry on Kasumi’s memory while I achieve our dream. It’ll serve as proof of my resolve.”

“That sounds like a good idea. Although, if I’m being honest, as your boyfriend, I think you’re cuter how you look now. The hair down and glasses look works for you.”

“Maybe I’ll stick with the glasses. It’ll be like a duet between our two styles. I can save the hair down look just for you.” She said with a wink.

“I can live with that. You’re beautiful no matter what.”

Once it started getting late, Ren walked Sumire home and they prepared to say their goodbyes for the night.

“Thanks for all this Senpai. You’ve made today so wonderful. I was able to impress Coach Hiraguchi and reaffirm my determination and it’s all thanks to your support.”

“I’m so proud of how far you’ve come, Sumi. I can’t wait to stand by your side as you go even further.”

“Right! I’m not going to slow down until I’ve reached the top! Hope you can keep up with me, Senpai!”

“I’ll be there every step of the way. I promised you that we’d take on the world together, and that’s just what we’re gonna do.”

“That’s exactly what I want to hear!” Thanks again for the wonderful day.”

“It was a pretty good first date, wasn’t it?”

“First d-date!?”

“We’re dating, aren’t we? What else would this be?”

“Um… ah… I guess that’s true but… Wait, are you just teasing me again, Senpai?”

“I realized that I almost went this entire time without teasing you and decided I couldn’t let that happen.

“Why do you need to tease me all the time?”

“I need my daily dose of flustered Sumi. You’re just too cute when you’re embarrassed. And pretty much all the time.”

Sumire hugged him. “I want to embarrass you sometimes and see how you like it.”

“Good luck with that, my lovely little Violet.”

Sumire reached up on her tiptoes for a kiss. “I love you, Senpai. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She entered her house with a smile, which her parents noticed immediately.

“You’ve certainly been in a better mood these past few days, Sumire.”

“I guess I really have been. Things have been amazing. Everything has been perfect.”


	16. The Spell Cast Upon You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sumire prepares for the day when the Thieves face Maruki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry for the long delay between this chapter and the last one. The past few weeks have been pretty hectic for me so I haven't had much time to write. I should have more time now, so hopefully I'll be able to update this more frequently.

**January 25th**

The infiltration into Maruki’s Palace had been going smoothly. The group stood in front of a CRT TV, one of many they had seen that shown Maruki’s memories and helped them proceed.

“We found another tape… I wonder what we’ll find on this one.” Panther mused.

“I’ll wager this much: it won’t be pleasant. Regardless, we should watch it sooner rather than later.” Fox responded.

Joker popped the tape into the TV. Violet instantly recognized the scene in the video once it began playing. It was her first counseling session with Dr. Maruki. The day she had become Kasumi…

“So, you’re Sumire Yoshizawa, huh? I’m Dr. Maruki. I’ll be your counselor. First of all, thank you for coming to see me.”

“…Yes. Thank you for seeing me… um… I’m sorry, I’m not sure what to discuss… I only came here today because my parents wanted me to.”

“That’s fine. So, do you wanna just chat until our time’s up, then?”

“Chat, huh…”

“Of course. It’s not really possible for us to talk about things you don’t want to discuss, anyway. I’ve also got some sweets and some salty snacks there- feel free to have at them.”

“Oh, yes… thank you so much.”

“So, let’s start with… ah. How about, what’d you eat for lunch yesterday? I’ll go first. The other day, a friend of mine gave me a ton of apples. I’ve grown tired of just eating them by themselves- yesterday I thought, why not try using them as a meal ingredient? So, I tried making an apple dish for lunch, but that didn’t turn out too hot… what do you think I ended up making?”

“I… have no clue.”

“Shrimp in chili sauce- with apples. You know how sweet-and-sour pork can have pineapple in it? I was going for that, but…”

“Sounds like it didn’t work for you. Apples do make for good ingredients, though. If you grate them, you can make a surprisingly versatile sauce. I use it in plenty of my food. It’s pretty nutritious and good for digestion.”

“You cook Yoshizawa-san? I’m impressed that you care so much about nutrition. You must really be on top of things.”

“I’m just active, that’s all. I’m a gymnast. My coach has told me more than once to be conscious of everything I eat.”

“I see… How’s practice going for you? Has it been rough lately?”

“It has been rough… I mean, it’s nothing I can’t handle. But, it’s… not going well. I don’t even know what I want to do anymore.”

“Sorry to hear it… do you enjoy gymnastics?”

“…I’m not even sure of that. My… older sister and I made a promise. We’d both compete and win the biggest gymnastics award in the world. But… she… passed away. She protected me from a car… I stole Kasumi’s dream away from her. I can’t do it anymore. I can’t just go on like this… if Kasumi were here instead, I know she’d make her dream come true… only Kasumi could have done it. No matter how long I try to compete… it’s not going to change anything… I’m sorry…”

“There’s no need for you to apologize in here. If there’s something you need to get off your chest, please do so.”

“…Sometimes, I can’t help but think things would’ve been better if I were Kasumi Yoshizawa. After all… just wishing to make her dream come true does nothing for her in reality.”

“Making dreams come true, huh… well, I don’t think your train of thought is strange at all, Yoshizawa-san. In fact, wanting to become somebody else isn’t necessarily an entirely bad thing.”

“You… you think so?”

“Everyone is capable of changing themselves- your imagination is your only limit. That’s why, if you aspire to be more like another person, it’s actually possible. Thought exercises like, ‘would that person do this?’ or realizations like ‘that person wouldn’t do that…’ These sorts of thoughts can lead people to change themselves in ways that more closely mirror the target person. Can you still imagine what your sister was like?”

“Yes… If your sister were in your shoes, what do you think she’d do?”

“Well… she wouldn’t cry. If she had the time to do that, she’d just practice more instead. Dr. Maruki, I… I want to become Kasumi.”

“…I know. And, I’m sure you can, too. Just… believe in yourself.”

The Sumire on screen closed her eyes and a strange light permeated the scene.

“How about it? Are you feeling any better now?”

“Yes… I feel like a weight’s been lifted off of me! You’re amazing, Doctor!”

Maruki laughed. “It’s no big deal… still, it seems my counseling approach does some good after all.”

Sumire reached into the bag on the chair next to her, pulling out a red ribbon, tying her hair up and removing her glasses.

“All right! I’m not sure how to put it, but… I feel like I’ve been reborn all over again.”

“Really? I’m very glad to hear it. Feel free to drop by again sometime should anything come up. We can even just have a chat, like today.”

“Thank you. Then we can pick up where we left off talking about… hm.”

“Is something the matter?”

“Now that I think about it, I’m not any good at cooking. I don’t know why I said those things earlier… my younger sister’s the one who was really great at it.

“That’s right, ‘Kasumi Yoshizawa.’”

“…Yes? What is it?”

“Oh, nothing. I’m so glad I was able to help you. Good luck with your training.”

“Right- I’ll do my best! For Sumire’s sake and mine!” ‘Kasumi’ said as the video ended.

Violet felt Joker’s hand slip into her own and squeeze it. Whether his goal was to reassure her, or to keep himself from punching a hole in the TV screen, she wasn’t sure.

“Was that…?” Noir started.

“Yes… it was a counseling session I had with Dr. Maruki… it was right after Kasumi passed away. From that moment on, I lived my life really believing I was Kasumi.”

“It was all due to the rewriting of your cognition- his ‘actualization,’ as we’ve started calling it?” Fox asked.

“Okay, but I’ve been wondering something… so, it was only Sumire who believed that she was Kasumi, right? I assumed someone in your family or one of your friends would’ve noticed you going by the wrong name right away…” Panther mused.

“Well, I can certainly remember being called ‘Kasumi’ by everyone else, too…”

“It might be more accurate to say you misheard or misunderstood the name you were being called. Like, everyone kept callin’ you ‘Sumire’ but your cognition made you hear it as ‘Kasumi.’” Oracle explained.

“So that’s why nobody thought it was weird, including her folks and herself… damn…” Skull said.

“This must be part of the whole ‘salvation’ nonsense Maruki’s trying to pull over on us.” Crow said.

“That memory may have been kept here in video form because he truly does wish for Violet to be happy with life.” Fox replied.

“I admit, I really did feel saved in that moment I became Kasumi… but at the same time, I ran from my life as Sumire… I’m genuinely grateful for what Dr. Maruki did for me, but I’m done running. I refuse to be weak like that anymore.”

After a short pause, Joker spoke. “Let’s get going. I need to blow off some steam.”

He released her hand and walked out of the room.

**February 2nd**

The deadline Maruki had given was only a day away, and Sumire could feel her nerves mounting. It was the same feeling she always had before a competition, only much worse because of what it would mean if they failed. As she walked toward the station on her way to school, she saw Ren waiting on the platform.

“Good morning, Senpai!” She said as grabbing his hand and gave him a quick peck on the lips, a greeting that had become a sort of ritual for the two of them whenever they walked to school together. “So… today is the day Dr. Maruki is supposed to contact us… um…”

Ren looked at her with concern. “Are you okay? Feeling nervous?”

‘I shouldn’t worry him anymore than he already is.’ Sumire thought

“A bit… I just have a lot on my mind. I’m fine.”

He looked unconvinced. “You sure? You can talk to me about it.”

“Let’s just focus on getting through the day.”

“Sounds good to me.” Ren smiled and wrapped an arm around her as they boarded the train.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
As the school day wound to a close, Sumire began to feel even more nervous about the upcoming fight. She stood at the entrance to the school, staring at her phone wondering whether she should bother Ren with her problems. While lost in her thoughts, she felt her hair fall out of its ponytail and form a curtain around her face. Her hand immediately shot to her hair grabbing for the ribbon that normally held it up.

“Looking for this?” Said a voice from behind her.

Whirling around, Sumire saw Ren standing close behind her, dangling her ribbon in his hand with a smirk on his face.

“Give it back, Senpai!” Sumire whined and reached out to grab it from his hand.

He held the ribbon just out of her reach and leaned forward. “I will if you tell me what’s on your mind.”

“W-what do you mean? I-I’m fine.”

“You’re not a good liar, Sumi. You’re worried about tomorrow, right?”

“How did you know?”

“Because I know you. Do you want to talk about it?”

“I don’t want to stress you out with my problems right now. I know you have a lot to worry about.”

“I’m gonna be worried either way. But talking to you will help.”

“If you’re sure. To be honest, I wanted to talk to you anyway.”

“Let’s go somewhere a bit more private. Should we head to Leblanc?”

“Um… I was thinking that… maybe we could go to… my house?” Sumire felt her face get hot as she made her suggestion.

Ren raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Your house, huh? What are you planning?”

“P-planning? I’m not planning anything! I just wanted to talk…” Sumire sputtered.

“I know you aren’t.” Ren said as he handed the ribbon back.

“Why do you have to tease me all the time?” Sumire pouted.

Ren put an arm around her and pulled her close. “Because you’re adorable. Lead the way.”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
After an uneventful train ride, the pair arrived at Sumire’s house. Her parents hadn’t gotten home from work yet, so they were able to enter her room uninterrupted.

“This is the first time I’ve invited a boy over to my house, so I’m kind of nervous.” Sumire giggled.

Ren glanced around the room before sitting down on the bed. “It’s nice and tidy.”

“Thank you. People always say that a messy room means a messy heart, so I try to keep it clean. But this isn’t what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to tall you my decision. This is where Kasumi and I promised each other we’d be the best in the world. Pretty much everything in here is the same as in Kasumi’s bedroom. The colors are different, but not much else. That’s how it always was. Kasumi always said we should get the same styles, the same clothes…”

“You two were close.”

“Yes. When I lost her, I… I just went into shock. I can talk about it now that I have some distance from it, but before, I was too… honestly… in the grand scheme of things, I’m grateful to Dr. Maruki.”

Ren looked confused. “Grateful for what?”

“Well, he showed me that it was possible for me to live my life the way Kasumi lived hers. I know that I ran from my problems, but if I’d continued living my life as Sumire, I don’t think I’d ever have talked to you. I’d still be crying every day. Becoming Kasumi helped me come into your life. And because everything happened the way it did, I found ways to go back to being Sumire, one step at a time. I think… I really needed that time I spent as my sister. That’s why I’m grateful to Dr. Maruki.”

“I… never thought about it that way. I can’t forgive him for trying to erase you like that… but I suppose that’s true.

“And that’s why I have something to tell him, too. Or rather… I want to show him that I found a way to face reality. If Dr. Maruki sees how far I’ve come… I’d like to think it might give him the strength to do the same.”

“I’ll be there to help you.”

“Yes! I’ll be the strongest Sumire Yoshizawa I can be!”

As Sumire felt her resolve strengthen once more, she once again saw her Persona appear before her. Unlike the first time, this time she saw both Cendrillon and Vanadis in her mind. The two turned into light and combined into a new form, a tall woman in a wedding dress and a bouquet of flowers in her left hand.

‘This… is my power… Ella.’

Sumire sat down next to Ren, wrapped her arms around him and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you so much, Ren. If I hadn’t met you, I’d never have found the strength to face myself. I hope we’ll always be able to count on each other. That way, I won’t ever lose myself again.”

“You’ll never have to worry about that. I’ll always be there for you. I promise.” Ren returned the embrace and the two sat together, enjoying each other’s warmth until Ren had to leave and prepare for his meeting with Maruki.


	17. Reclaim the Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle against Maruki ensues.

**February 3rd**

“So, it’s finally time to do this…” Ann muttered.

“We’re in the endgame now! It’s time to win this!” Futaba cheered.

Makoto looked nervous. “He did read the calling card, right?”

“I handed it to him myself. We don’t have to worry.” Ren replied.

“We’re all set then.” Akechi said.

“Is everyone ready?” Ren asked, looking around at the others. “It’s showtime!” He said once each of them had answered.

As the group moved to leave the attic of Leblanc, Sumire felt a hand gently grab her wrist.

Turning around, she saw it was Ren. “What’s wrong, Senpai?”

“Hold up a sec, Sumi. I want to talk to you for a bit before we go.”

“Is everything okay, Senpai?” She asked once they were alone.

“Everything’s fine, I just wanted to talk to you for a bit before the mission started.”

“About what?”

“There’s no way of knowing how this fight’s going to go, so I just wanted to tell you that I love you. I love you and nothing will ever change that.”

Sumire tightly gripped his hands, staring at him with determined eyes. “Senpai, don’t say that like you’ll never have another opportunity to. We’re gonna win this and then we’ll have all the time in the world to spend together.”

“R-right. All the time in the world…” Ren muttered, refusing to meet her gaze.

“Let’s catch up with the others. We can’t let the others leave us behind can we, Senpai?”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
As the fight against Maruki raged on, Violet could feel exhaustion creep in as she approached her limits. Throughout the fight, she could hear Maruki call out to each of her comrades individually as a last-ditch effort to convince them to give up and accept his reality. Violet hadn’t been paying much attention to what he’d been saying, until she heard him call her name.

“Yoshizawa-san! That pain you’re suffering must be impossible to live with! The trauma must be unbearable! I want to save you from that awful life!”

‘He isn’t wrong, but…’ She looked over to Joker standing beside her and smiled. After Kasumi’s death, she had felt completely alone in the world, but not anymore. She was done running.

“The pain I’ve suffered is horrible… but I don’t need to face it alone ever again! I am myself! I’ll never forget that again!”

Maruki sighed. “I won’t deny that you’re all strong. But that’s exactly what’s making you suffer. Most of you seem like you’re refusing to give up.” Maruki turned to face Joker. “However, I have yet to hear from you, Amamiya-kun. After everything you’ve been through, with all that’s happened with you and your friends, are you really willing to give it all up? Are you really okay with returning to the town that shunned you for a crime you didn’t commit? Do you want to go through that loneliness again? Wouldn’t you rather stay here with them? I can make that happen. All you need to do is accept my reality, and you’ll never have to be alone again.”

Joker paused for a moment before letting out a light chuckle.

“You’re right. The last thing I want is to leave everyone behind. If I could, I’d stay in a heartbeat. But even still, my mind is made up. I can't accept your reality. I’ll fight it with everything I have.”

“So, none of you are going to change your minds then… Then I suppose I’ll just have to fight with everything I have, too.” Maruki said as an ominous dark light grew around his Persona.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The battle had been won. The Phantom Thieves had escaped with Maruki’s treasure only for him to take it back and use it to evolve his Persona into a massive humanoid creature, which Joker had defeated in a way that Violet couldn’t help but think was really cool. After a short conversation with Maruki, the Palace began to crumble, and Morgana had transformed into a helicopter to aid in their escape.

“A helicopter?” Fox asked, incredulously.

“If you could do this, then SAY SO, DAMMIT!” Oracle shouted.

“Well, I didn’t know! But now I’m downright priceless to the Phantom Thieves.” Mona laughed.

“Sorry to interrupt your little moment of triumph, but… couldn’t you have made yourself just a bit larger?” Crow grunted, straining under the weight of the others on top of him.

“Hey, where’d Joker go?” Skull asked.

Violet began to feel panic set in as she realized that Joker was nowhere to be seen.

“Don’t worry! He’s down there.” Mona said as the group noticed the wire from his grappling hook wrapped around the landing gear of the helicopter.

“How’s it _hanging_? Get it?” Joker yelled up at them.

Before anyone could respond, the helicopter jerked downward as Maruki attempted to use one of his Persona’s tendrils to pull them out of the sky. After looking down towards Maruki, Violet saw Joker look up to her. Violet couldn’t hear what he said next, but she could read the words “I love you” on his lips before he let go of the wire.

“REN!” She screamed as she watched her boyfriend plummet into the darkness below.

“What the hell…” Skull muttered.

“We need to find him! He could be hurt!” Violet said, the panic from earlier setting in again.

The group searched him out until light began to break and the Palace disappeared around them, the Metaverse disappearing once more.

**February 4th**

They found themselves outside the stadium once more, but Ren, Morgana and Akechi were nowhere to be seen. After a while of searching the surrounding area, they met back up, but found no sign of their missing teammates. The others talked about something, but Sumire was too busy worrying to respond or even register what they were saying.

‘This can’t be real… this isn’t happening… I can’t lose him again…’ While fighting back her tears, she noticed a scrap of newspaper on the ground and reached down to pick it up. The article was about the murder of Maruki’s girlfriend’s family, the event that had led to his desires becoming distorted.

‘This must be Dr. Maruki’s treasure… I should probably hold onto this for now.’ She carefully folded it and placed it securely into her jacket pocket.

“Sumire, you okay? You’re kinda spacin’ out over there.” Ryuji asked, snapping her to attention.

“Oh, um yes… I’m fine…”

“We’re gonna call it a day and head back to Leblanc. Maybe Boss knows something about where Ren is.”

“Okay, let’s do that.”

Sumire slowly followed the rest of the group back to the café. After a silent train ride back to Yongen, they finally arrived, where they found Sojiro sitting at the bar reading.

“You didn’t tell me you’d be out all night. You should have at least gotten in touch with me about it.”

Futaba started to apologize until Ann cut in. “We’re the ones who kept her out so late. We should be apologizing for her.”

“And we’re all back so early in the morning… we’re really sorry Sakura-san.” Sumire added.

“Stop apologizing so much. Being worried isn’t exactly on my list of favorite activities, but I assume you had a good reason for it, right?”

Makoto asked what they were all thinking. “Um… have Ren at all lately?”

Sojiro looked confused. “Ren? What are you bringing him up for?”

“You know what his deal is right now, Sojiro?” Futaba asked.

“Well, yeah… he’s been locked up since last year.”

“Locked up!?” Sumire nearly shouted.

“What’s going on?” Ann muttered.

“What’re you guys talkin’ about… well, I was gonna ask you that, but now I’m getting a strange feeling that I’ve been seeing him until fairly recently… Anyways, why don’t you all take a seat before I go over his situation?”

Once they were settled, Sojiro told them that Ren had turned himself in to the police on Christmas Eve in order to protect the rest of the Phantom Thieves from being prosecuted. After, Sojiro went out to pick up some things, leaving the group to talk.

“So, Ren’s in juvenile detention…” Yusuke said.

“He said that Sis told him he should turn himself in, but Akechi showed up and did it for him… was all that just part of Dr. Maruki’s reality?” Makoto pondered.

“It would certainly explain why Akechi-kun disappeared after Dr. Maruki’s reality fell apart.” Haru replied.

“But that doesn’t explain what happened to Morgana-senpai.” Sumire said.

The bell above Leblanc’s door rang, alerting them to someone’s presence. “Did someone say my name?”

“This again!” Ryuji shouted.

“Recycled gags suck! Why do you always hafta get us all worried like that!?” Futaba yelled.

“But, how are you here?” Haru asked.

“Guess it really was just the Metaverse me who disappeared. I woke up in Shibuya and made my way here. It took some time though.”

“C’mon, don’t scare us like that! Oh, but wait, does that mean Akechi’s…” Ryuji started.

“No. Akechi’s gone. When we gave him the calling card, Maruki told us that if we erased his reality, Akechi would disappear.”

“Did Akechi know?” Ann asked.

“He was there when Maruki told Ren and I. Ren wanted to find another way, a way to both defeat Maruki and save Akechi, but Akechi told Ren to keep going regardless of what would happen to him. He said that he’d rather die than hand over control of his life to someone else.”

“No… I can’t believe Akechi-san’s really…” Sumire murmured.

“What the hell… So, he was fightin’ that hard, knowin’ he was gonna disappear the whole time…” Ryuji said.

“So, Ren’s incarcerated and Akechi is… I thought I’d braced myself for the decision we made, but… this truly is a harsh reality.”

“We all decided to live our real lives and look to the future from here… But even so… I… I just can’t accept Ren-senpai being stuck behind bars. No… I _refuse_ to accept him being stuck in jail. Especially when he didn’t do anything wrong. There has to be something we can do to help him.” Sumire said.

“Nice, I’m impressed with the idea.” Morgana responded.

“Yeah! We won’t put up with this injustice!” Ann said.

“But, what can we do to actually help him get out of there?” Haru asked.

“I remember Sis telling me a while ago… In order to overturn a sentence, you need definitive evidence that proves the subject’s innocence.” Makoto chimed in.

“So, what yer sayin’ is, we just gotta find that evidence… right?” Ryuji asked.

“Then we’re on the case!” Sumire said.

“There’s no time for us to waste. We’re going to show off what the Phantom Thieves are capable of one last time.” Yusuke chimed in.

“Yeah! Let’s do this!” Futaba cheered.

“We’re gonna save our leader no matter what it takes!” Ryuji shouted.

Finding the evidence necessary to clear Ren’s name wouldn’t be easy, but Sumire’s mind was made up. She wouldn’t rest until he was free, no matter how long it took.


	18. The Chosen Path

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sumire shares a romantic evening with Ren following his release.

**February 13th**

The minute practice let out and she finished changing out of her leotard, Sumire ran straight for the station. The night before, Makoto had sent a text in the Phantom Thieves group chat, an update from Sae: “We won.” It was only two words, but everyone knew exactly what they meant, after all, there had only been one thing any of them had been talking and thinking about for the past ten days. Ren’s appeal had been successful, and his sentence overturned. Sae told them that as of tomorrow, Ren would be free once again. Sojiro was picking him up from the detention center that morning. By this point he was probably already back at Leblanc, where everyone had gathered to celebrate his release. Unfortunately, she couldn’t get out of practice, so she wasn’t able to be there right when he got home. The train couldn’t come fast enough for Sumire but after an amount of time that felt significantly longer than it probably was, the train arrived in Yongen. As the doors slid open, she immediately began sprinting through the backstreets toward the café. Everyone inside spun around as she flung open the doors. Ren, who was standing in the middle of the café, smiled when he saw her and opened his mouth to say something, but Sumire was a faster.

“SENPAI!” She yelled with joy as she threw herself into his arms and hugged him.

“Whoa!” He exclaimed as he returned her embrace. “I was gonna ask if you missed me, but it seems like you already answered that.”

Instead of responding, Sumire pressed her lips against his and kissed him deeply. “Please stop making me think that you died. I don’t know if my heart can take another scare like that.”

“Well, now that our Phantom Thieving days are done, I don’t think that’s something we’ll have to worry about too much.”

“I guess that’s true.” She giggled before pulling herself closer to him.

They stood in the middle of the café, holding each other in their arms. “Sumi, you do realize that everyone’s staring at us, right?” Ren asked after a moment.

“It’s embarrassing, but I don’t really care. Holding you like this is worth it.”

“As much as I’d like to stand here hugging you, we should probably sit down so we can all talk.”

Sumire reluctantly let go of Ren, but snaked her hand into his as they sat down in a nearby booth.

“So, Ren, how was juvie?” Futaba asked.

Ren’s expression darkened. “Prison changes you… it’s been so long since I’ve tasted freedom, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it on the outside… not after all this time.”

“You were technically only in there ten days, kid. Besides, you weren’t even in real jail. It’s not like you’re some hardened criminal.” Sojiro deadpanned.

“Yeah, I know. I saw someone say that in a movie one time and I couldn’t resist.” Ren joked. “But honestly, it wasn’t too bad. Obviously, I would have preferred to not be in jail, but I’m out now, so that’s all that matters and that’s thanks to all of you. Thanks, everyone.”

“It’s your girlfriend you should be thankin’, dude. Findin’ evidence to clear your name was her idea.” Ryuji said.

“You should have seen her, Ren. I didn’t know Sumire could get so fired up. She inspired the rest of us to take action and save you.” Ann chimed in.

“You’d have been proud of her.” Morgana added.

“She was all ‘I won’t let him be stuck in jail, I looooooove him too much!’ Mweheheheh.” Futaba said, laughed.

Sumire could feel her face heating up. “I-I didn’t say all that!”

“You may as well have. The intent was pretty clear.” Makoto replied.

“Indeed. A young woman crying out to save her lover! It truly was a beautiful sight. It would make for a great painting…” Yusuke cried out before trailing off.

“I wouldn’t go that far… but was really sweet, Sumire-chan.” Haru giggled.

“Can we talk about something else now, please!?” Sumire shouted with her face bright red and her eyes screwed shut.

She felt Ren’s hand slid out of hers, his arm wrap around her shoulders and pull her closer as he kissed the top of her head. “Sounds like you were pretty amazing. Thanks for spurring this group of idiots into action.”

“I d-didn’t do anything special! I just thought about what you would do. If it were any of us in your position, you would have stopped at nothing to help us. And you’ve done so much for all of us that we had to do something to help.”

“Well, Morgana’s right. I’m proud of you, Sumi. You’re a far cry from the insecure, unconfident girl begging for Maruki to turn you into your sister.”

“T-thank you, Senpai.”

“Speakin’ of Doc, that reminds me of something he said while we were fighting him. He mentioned something about you leaving, Ren.” Ryuji said.

Ren looked down. “Yeah… next month is the end of my probation period… after that I have to go back to my hometown.”

The reality of Ren’s situation had finally dawned upon Sumire. “Do you really have to go back, Senpai? Isn’t there anyway you can stay here? You could live with me if you wanted!”

“Sojiro would let you stay here, or you could even move into the house with us!” Futaba said.

Ren smiled at them. “Thanks, you two, but I need to do this, as much as I don’t want to. Don’t worry about it though, it’s not for another month, and it’s not like that’ll be the last time we all see each other.”

Morgana seemed pensive. “About all that… I’ve been thinking, and I’ve decided that I’m gonna go with Ren when he leaves.”

“Hey, where’s my say in this?” Ren asked, sarcastically.

“We’ve stuck together this long, and I figure we should continue that. Besides, we need someone to keep you from turning back into a delinquent, and we both know that you’d be lost without me.”

“I was never a delinquent.” Ren retorted.

Sumire decided to get her revenge for all the teasing Ren had given her. “Morgana-senpai, please look after him for me when you go. He needs it.”

“Not you too, Sumi! I thought you of all people would believe in me.” Ren clutched his chest like he’d been wounded.

“All right, now if we’re done with all this downer shit, let’s celebrate! After all, that’s why we all came here, right?” Ryuji cheered.

The party went well into the night, until the group had to catch the last trains in order to get home. Sumire lagged behind as the rest left until eventually she was left alone in Leblanc with Ren and Morgana.

“Um, Senpai. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Of course, but you should probably be quick, so you don’t get stranded here.”

“Do you remember what tomorrow is?”

“Sumi, I’ve lost all perception of time. I’m really not sure what day today is, much less tomorrow. Sorry.”

‘So, he doesn’t realize that tomorrow is Valentine’s Day…this is perfect. I can surprise him with my gift!’

“Oh, it’s not really that important. I wanted to talk to you tomorrow. Is that all right?”

“Sumi, you don’t even need to ask that question. My answer’s always yes and it’s never going to change.”

“Great! I’ll see you tomorrow night!”

“Looking forward to it. I love you.”

“Love you too, Senpai!” Sumire reached up and gave him a peck on the lips before rushing to catch the train home, ready to enact her plan.

**February 14th**

‘I’m really glad I bought all those ingredients just in case Ren got released in time for Valentine’s Day.’ Sumire thought with a smile as she pulled the chocolates she had made earlier from the freezer. ‘They’re perfect! He’ll love these!’ She set them on the counter and went to grab packaging she had bought, a box in the shape of a heart, a teddy bear and a ribbon to tie it all together. She sat down at the table and hummed a tune to herself as she carefully arranged the chocolates in the box.

“You seem happy today, Sumire.” Came Shinichi’s voice from the couch.

“Of course, I am! It’s my first Valentine’s Day with Ren! I think he forgot that today’s Valentine’s too, so I’ll be able to surprise him.” Sumire continued humming as she wrapped the ribbon around the box, sealing it before attaching it to the stuffed bear. “And there we go!”

Suddenly, her mother appeared behind her. “Oh, it’s so cute, sweetheart! I’m sure he’s going to love it!”

“I hope so.” She picked up the chocolates and went to her room to put them in her bag. Looking over to her dresser, a thought crossed her mind.

‘Maybe I could… spend the night there…’ She instantly felt her face glow red. ‘Wait, no! What are you thinking, Sumire!’

Her father’s voice came from the doorway. “Sumire, are you thinking of spending the night with Amamiya-kun?”

Her face burned brighter. “W-wha-!?” She looked down and saw that she was holding a pair of her pajamas in her hands, her bag open on the bed in front of her. “I-I was thinking about it, yes…”

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea… you’re a little young for that, don’t you think?”

“Oh, come on, Shinichi! It’s her first Valentine’s with a boyfriend. Let her spend the night with him! She’s responsible so she’ll be fine.” Her mother chimed in.

Shinichi sighed before relenting. “All right. You can stay overnight if you want to, just be careful.”

“Thank you so much! I should get going.” She stuffed her pajamas into the bottom of her bag and slung it over her shoulder before rushing to the front door.

Just as she reached for the doorknob, Sumire heard her mother’s voice and her hand grip her shoulder, spinning her around. “Hold on a second, young lady!” She leaned in close and whispered something to her. “It’s fine if something happens between you two. But if things do… escalate, just make sure he uses protection.”

Sumire’s face was so hot, she felt like it was glowing. “M-MOM! I-I can’t believe you just said that! I’m leaving before you can keep talking!” She yelled as she ran out the door and towards the station, hoping she could compose herself before arriving at Leblanc.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Standing outside the door of Leblanc, Sumire thought she should feel nervous, but didn’t. She could see Sojiro standing behind the counter and Ren washing dishes, talking about who knows what. As she opened the door, she could hear the tail end of their conversation.

“You know, when I was young, hoo boy.” Sojiro whistled.

“Yeah. Sure.” Ren replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Good evening.” Sumire said once the door’s bell alerted them to her presence. “I didn’t realize you were still working… sorry for stopping by so late.”

Ren dried his hands and walked over to her. “Hey, it’s not a big deal. I’m glad you’re here.”

Sojiro looked between the two of them for a minute before speaking. “Oh… you should’ve just told me she was coming over. Here, I’ll leave the store to you. Enjoy yourselves…”

As he left the store, he whispered something in Ren’s ear, something that seemed to make Ren flustered for once. “We aren’t… we’re not gonna… weren’t you leaving?” Sojiro chuckled to himself as he left the store and locked up, flipping the sign to closed before disappearing from view.

“So… what did Sakura-san say to you that got you so worked up?” Sumire asked coyly, already having her suspicions about it.

“Trust me, you don’t want to know.” Ren responded quietly.

That just about confirmed her suspicions, but she decided to drop the subject. “That was considerate of him… though I hope I’m not imposing. I know I already saw you yesterday, but everyone else was around, so I really wanted to have some time with you today… just the two of us.”

“Don’t worry about imposing, you’re not. It isn’t like there were any customers here anyway. I’m really glad to see you. Even though it was only for a few days, I really missed you while I was stuck in jail.” Ren smiled as he wrapped Sumire in a hug.

Sumire sighed contentedly as she returned the embrace. “There was so much I wanted to say to you once we were finally alone together. But now that you’re here, and I can see your face for myself… none of it seems so important anymore.”

Ren pushed her away to look into her eyes. “I am so, so sorry for making you worry like that.”

“It’s all right. I understand why you did what you did. On another note, I brought you something.” She let of Ren, reached into her bag and pulled out the box of chocolates. “It’s chocolate since it’s Valentine’s Day today. I made them myself. Surprise!”

“Is it? I guess I didn’t realize. Thank you so much.”

“You’re very welcome. After all, compared to what you’ve done for me… this is nothing. There’s something I wanted to tell you… ever since that day when you stopped me from letting Dr. Maruki turn me into Kasumi, I’ve been living for myself, as myself and from now on, I always will.”

“That’s good. Because you’re absolutely perfect just as you are. Why don’t we sit down instead of standing around all night?” Ren sat down in a booth and pulled Sumire in next to him.

“So… you’re going back to your hometown soon…”

“Yeah… it might get lonely… unless you want to come with me?” Ren smirked.

Sumire giggled. “It’s sweet of you to ask, but I can’t. I barely managed to convince my dad to let me stay overnight with you… there’s no way he’d allow something like that. Besides, I need to keep working hard. Wherever you are, I’ll make sure you hear about me.”

Ren sighed. “Yeah, I know. I mostly just wanted to see how you’d react if I asked. You handled it better than I thought you would. It would have been nice if you could have though.”

“You know, Kasumi always said she performed best when thinking about someone she loved… I think I finally understand what she was trying to say now. When I think about you, I get the feeling that the competition’s going to go just fine.”

“What are you talking about? Ren asked, pretending not to know.

“…I think you know what I mean.” Sumire giggled once again as he lay her head down on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

“I do. And I feel the same way.” Ren placed his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. As she relaxed on his shoulder, Sumire heard Ren open the packaging to her chocolates and pop one in his mouth. “Wow, these are amazing, Sumi!”

“Are they? I’m so glad you like them, Senpai!”

“Open wide.” She opened her mouth as he raised a one to her lips. “You mentioned that you barely managed to convince your dad to let you stay overnight. Does that mean you’re planning on sleeping here tonight?”

She answered him after finishing her chocolate. “Um… I’d like to. But, only if you’re okay with it, of course!”

“You aren’t thinking of doing anything are you weird are you, Sumi?” He asked with another smirk.

“I-I’m not planning anything! Why do you always think I’m trying to do something like that?” Sumire whined.

“I just like how flustered it makes you. It’s cute. It’s getting a bit late, so maybe we should get ready for bed soon.”

Ren then guided her up to the attic. It was Sumire’s first time in Ren’s room and she wasn’t sure what to expect. The shelves were filled with trinkets from various places Ren had visited over the past year. Sumire recognized the sea slug doll she had given him sitting in the top right.

“I see you kept this.” She said, picking up the doll.

“Naturally, after all, it was the first gift I got from my beautiful girlfriend, even if we weren’t dating yet.” Ren replied as he pulled a box from a shelf and began pulling sleeping clothes from it. “You can get changed up here. Just yell down when you’re ready for me to come back up.”

Once Ren disappeared down the stairs, Sumire changed into her pajamas, glancing around at the decorations around the attic as she did so.

‘He’s certainly done a lot over his year here.’ After she finished changing, Sumire called Ren back upstairs.

“You know, I didn’t take you for a Risette fan.” Sumire teased, pointing at the poster hanging in the corner.

Ren shrugged. “I’m full of surprises. What’s more surprising to me is what you’re wearing. I didn’t take _you_ for a Featherman fan.”

“I guess we’re both full of surprises.”

“You look cute in them though.” Ren said, throwing a pillow and blanket onto the couch before flopping onto it himself.

Sumire was confused. “What are you doing, Senpai?”

“I was gonna sleep here tonight. Let you have the bed.” Ren responded simply

“Oh! That’s okay, you can keep your bed. I don’t want to impose on you more than I already am.”

“And let the love of my life sleep on this uncomfortable thing? Not happening. Just take the bed.”

“No. I don’t want to take your bed.”

Ren sighed and stood up. “Looks like neither of us is planning on giving this up. That means there’s only one fair way to solve this dispute.” He said with an ominous tone as he approached her slowly.

“S-Senpai? What are you talking about?”

“Well, it’s pretty clear to me that the only course of action is…” He slowly began to lean in closer to her ear, and lowering his voice with each word. “for… us… to… share… the… bed~”

At those words, Sumire felt like her mind was short-circuiting. “S-S-Share… the… b-bed…”

“If neither of us is going to take the bed, then the only option left to us is to share it, right?”

“Um… I was actually kind of hoping for that… wait, that sounded weird, didn’t it? Sorry…”

“Don’t be. Let’s get to bed. It’s a little small for two people, but I don’t mind if you don’t.”

“Not at all. This just gives us an excuse to be closer.” Sumire giggled as she crawled under the blanket, Ren following closely behind her.

“Goodnight, Sumi.”

“Goodnight, Senpai. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Sumire quickly drifted off to sleep, feeling secure and comfortable in his embrace.


	19. A Night to Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sumire and Ren share a romantic evening on White Day.

**March 14th**

A month had passed since Valentine’s Day, and Sumire’s life couldn’t be better. Everything had calmed down and returned to normal following the battle with Maruki and Ren’s release from prison. She had spent the past month focusing on her gymnastics practices and spending time with Ren. He normally met her outside the school gates to walk her home or practice when she had it, but today he was nowhere to be seen. Wondering where he could be, she decided to give him a call.

“Senpai, where are you? I’m waiting for you outside of school.”

“Oh crap, sorry. Something… important came up so I couldn’t walk with you today. It was really sudden and giving you a heads up slipped my mind. Sorry again.”

“It’s alright, Senpai. What came up that was so important? If you don’t mind me asking, that is?”

Ren paused before answering. “It’s not important right now. I’ll tell you later.”

“Okay… I’ll talk to you later.”

“Love you.” Ren said before hanging up.

Sumire made her way home alone, wondering what he was doing.

‘I hope Senpai’s okay… he wouldn’t just forget to tell me he couldn’t walk me home. Today’s White Day and he hasn’t even mentioned anything about it… but if he was planning something, why wouldn’t he say anything?’

When she arrived at home, she changed out of her school uniform and laid on her bed, staring at her phone. Eventually, she got a call from Ren, which she answered immediately.

“Hi Senpai!”

“Hey, Sumi. That… thing I had earlier ended sooner than I expected. Can you meet me at the aquarium in Shinagawa?”

“Right now? Of course, that’s fine! I don’t have practice today, so I’ll head over right away. See you there!”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Arriving at the aquarium, Sumire found Ren waiting outside for her.

“There you are. Sorry for running out on you earlier, Sumi.”

“It’s fine! I figured you had your reasons. Next time, just give me a warning before you leave me waiting.” She teased.

“It won’t happen again, my lovely Violet.”

“Good. Then let’s head inside, shall we?”

The pair walked hand in hand through the blue halls of the aquarium, admiring the multicolored fish in their tanks.

“There are so many different kinds of fish. I’d never have realized, seeing them from a distance. They’re all so… beautiful. Come to think of it, I remember we had a family trip to an aquarium when I was younger. Kasumi was so excited to see the fish, but apparently I was so scared I cried the whole time…”

“Are you still scared?” Ren asked, squeezing her hand a little tighter.

“Oh, I’m having fun now… maybe there’s something about being here with my boyfriend that’s helping me not feel afraid. Speaking of boyfriends… you can just tell me if I’m wrong but… is this a date for White Day?”

“Of course.”

“I knew it! Well, I’m glad I got to spend it with you, Senpai. For a bit there, I thought that you might have forgotten because you didn’t mention anything.”

Ren chuckled nervously. “Me? Forget something this important? Never. Been planning for weeks.”

Sumire was going to ask about his strange answer but was interrupted by an announcement over the loudspeaker.

“Attention all guests, the penguin show will begin in 15 minutes.”

Sumire let out a gasp. “I LOVE PENGUINS! Hurry, Senpai, we need to get good seats!” She squealed and pulled Ren along behind her.

“Ow! Sumi! Slow down a little. We’ll be able to get seats.”

“I know, but I want the best seats!” She called back, running into the arena. “There!” She pointed out two seats next to each other, right in the front row. They settled into the seats as the show began. Sumire was instantly taken in by the penguins. She sprang out of her seat, leaning over the railing to get a closer look. “Look at that one! Oh, they’re all so cute!”

“I don’t know. I think the cutest one is right here.” Ren stepped next to her and pulled her close.

“Which one, Senpai?”

“This one.” Ren said, lightly kissing her cheek.

Sumire blushed. “You’re embarrassing me, Senpai! Stop it and look at the penguins!”

“It’s not my fault that I can’t take my eyes off you. You’re more adorable than any of those penguins.”

“Why do you like teasing me so much?”

Ren shrugged. “I’ve told you already, you’re cute when you get embarrassed. And it’s just so easy to embarrass you, so I do it a lot. Besides, you know you love it.”

Sumire didn’t respond, but moved a bit closer to him. Once the show ended, and they made their way out of the aquarium.

“This was a great date. Thank you for taking me out today. I had a great time.”

“I was hoping to spend some more time with you. Do you wanna stick around for a while longer?”

“I suppose I’ll take you up on that. Where are we going?”

“You’ll see. It’ll be a surprise. Let’s get going.”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
A few train connections later, Ren had led her into the elevator of a tall building.

“So, what’s up here?”

“There’s a restaurant up here. I’ve never been, but apparently it’s a good date spot.”

“Well, if it’s all the way up here, it must be pretty fancy. I’m getting excited!”

When the elevator reached the top, Ren gave the host his name, and they were led to their table.

“This restaurant is beautiful. I’m impressed, Ren-senpai.”

“Sojiro is the one you should be impressed with. He’s the one who told me about this place.”

“Either way, it seems really fancy.”

“Only the best for you. I hope you enjoy it.”

“To be honest, I’m kind of nervous. Love is so strange… I feel so happy when I’m with my boyfriend, but even tiny failures get me so depressed. As long as I’ve got you, though, I feel like I can get through anything.”

“I feel the same.”

“Senpai… I’m so glad we’re on the same level, so to speak.”

Ren looked towards his bag on the floor, and seemed deep in thought, the intercom pulling him out of his thoughts. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us on this special day. We wish you all an unforgettable evening, with one last finishing touch from us…”

“Huh? It looks like something’ happening.” The curtains around the restaurant rose up, revealing a view of the entire city, glowing far beneath them. “It’s gorgeous… Sumire said in total awe.

“Perfect…” Ren murmured before reaching into his bag and producing a bouquet of red and purple flowers. “Sumire Yoshizawa, you are the most amazing girl I have ever met. You’ve been through so much but always come out stronger for it and I admire you for that. You’re so kind and beautiful. I love everything about you. Your laugh, your smile, the way your face lights up as red as your hair when you get embarrassed. I love you with everything that I am, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“Ren… I… I don’t know what to say. Thank you… thank you so much.”

Ren chuckled. “I couldn’t choose between red to match your hair or violet to match your name, so I decided to go with both.”

“They’re beautiful… I never saw this coming… but I’m so, so happy.”

“Surprise. I’m glad you like them.”

“I’ve never been surprised like this… I keep falling in love with you all over again. I guess you put a lot of effort into this date. But I shouldn’t have expected anything less, Ren-senpai. You must have been planning all this for weeks and I had no idea.”

“Oh… yeah… definitely. Had all this planned out… Was fully prepared…” Ren trailed off.

Sumire chose to ignore his strange response. “You take care of everybody. And you always put their happiness before anything else. But I don’t want this to be one-sided. One day, I want to take care of you like you do for me. …Though I guess that might not be for a while.”

Ren raised an eyebrow. “Is that a marriage proposal? We’re a little young for that don’t you think?”

“And you saying that you want to spend the rest of your life with me wasn’t a marriage proposal?”

“You got me there. I guess we’re both getting ahead of ourselves. But if you really want to take care of me one day, then I’m looking forward to it.”

“It’ll definitely happen eventually, so please be patient! I might be getting a little too worked up over this. Um… we still have some time lift tonight, so… can I stay with you just a little longer?”

Ren smiled. “You can stay with me for as long as you want.”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
After finishing their meal, Ren and Sumire went for a walk in the park before making their way to Leblanc for coffee. While waiting for Ren to finish preparing the coffee, Sumire checked her phone.

“Oh, crap. Dad’s been texting me and asking when I’m coming home, but I just got them because of my stupid phone.”

Ren sat next to her in the booth with two cups of coffee. “Well, maybe it’s time to buy you a new phone. It’ll make it easier to talk when I go back home.”

“Ren, can we not talk about you leaving right now? Tonight has been so wonderful and I don’t want to spoil it by getting sad.”

“Alright, but we need to talk about this soon. There’s only a few days left.”

“Fine. But tonight, I just want to relax with you.” Sumire sighed contentedly, resting her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She felt Ren lean his head against hers. As she relaxed, Sumire slowly felt herself drift into unconsciousness.

She wasn’t sure how long she was asleep, but she felt herself being gently shaken awake. “Sumi, sweetheart, I need you to wake up, love.”

“Senpai? What are you doing? Let me sleep…” Sumire whined.

“I don’t think you realize what time it is…”

“Huh? What do you… mean…” Sumire trailed off as she looked at her phone and she had slept well past midnight and the trains had shut down for the night. “Oh…”

“Yeah… I had planned to wake you up early enough for you to get home, but then I kind of… also fell asleep. Sorry… but on the bright side, you get to stay with me tonight.”

Sumire raised her eyebrow. “I’m starting to think that you didn’t wake me up on purpose because you wanted me to spend the night.”

“Maybe, maybe not. I’ll never tell.”

While she felt happy about staying with Ren longer, she also realized that she hadn’t planned for this.

“Um… Senpai… I wasn’t expecting to be spending the night so I… don’t exactly have any clothes for sleeping in…”

“You can just wear a pair of my sleeping clothes. It’s not a big deal.”

“Y-your clothes!?” Sumire blushed.

“Yeah, what’s the issue? They’ll definitely fit you.”

“That isn’t the problem here! I can’t wear your clothes!”

“Well, it’s either that or you can sleep in what you’re wearing now, and I don’t think either of us want you messing up your outfit. You will also be more comfortable, and I think you’d look really cute.” Ren kissed her on the cheek before walking upstairs and returning a minute later with a black shirt and pair of green sweatpants.

Sumire took the clothes and went into the bathroom to change. First, she untied her ribbon and let her hair fall. She removed her orange skirt and sweater and put on Ren’s shirt. As she expected, it was a bit big on her. The sleeves were too long, it hung loosely off one of her shoulders and the bottom of the shirt went all the way down past her hips. ‘It fits at least, but these pants are way too big for me… I don’t think these are going to even stay on…’ She slid the sweatpants on, and just as predicted, no matter how tight she tied them, they slid right off her slender waist. ‘At least the shirt covers enough… it should be fine.’ She folded her clothes and placed them carefully in her bag and went upstairs.

“How are the clothes working out… for you…?” Ren trailed off once he saw her and Sumire thought she saw something red drip out of his nose as he stared at her thighs, seemingly entranced.

“Senpai? Are you okay? Your nose is bleeding.”

Ren blinked. “Uh, yeah. I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I was not prepared for how good you were gonna look.” He took the sweatpants from her and hastily shoved them in his box. “God, you are just so beautiful.”

Sumire leaned up to kiss him before pulling him over to the bed. Once they laid down, she snuggled into his chest. “I love you, Ren.”

“I love you too.” Ren replied as he started running his hands through her hair. “Sumi, I hope you know that I meant every word I said to you at the restaurant earlier.”

“Even the part about spending the rest of our lives together?”

“Especially that part. It won’t be for a while, but one day, we’re going to get married.”

“I’m glad you feel that way, because you’re stuck with me now.”

“There’s no one I’d rather be stuck with.”

“We’ll be together forever…” Sumire muttered as she drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't really have much to say here, but I hope you enjoyed.


	20. Until We Meet Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sumire says goodbye to Ren as he leaves Tokyo.

**March 19th**

“Sumire, are you alright? You haven’t left your room all day.” Shinichi called.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.” Sumire responded. She didn’t feel fine, she just didn’t want to talk about it right now. Today was Ren’s last day in Tokyo, and Sumire wasn’t sure what to do. She had so much she wanted to say to him, but couldn’t bring herself to face him. If she did, that meant she had to say goodbye and she wasn’t sure if her heart could take it. So, she had decided to simply lock herself away in her room and think.

‘I know that I need to go talk to Ren… not doing this is no better than running away from my emotions again. But what do I say? How am I going to look at the man I love and say goodbye?’

Sumire looked to her phone after hearing it vibrate. She had received two texts, one from Ren and another from Futaba. She decided to open the one from Futaba first.

Futaba: Avoiding your boyfriend?

Sumire: What am I supposed to do? I don’t know how I’m going to deal with being so far away from him for so long!

Sumire: I’ve been trying to put off thinking about it and seeing him now will just make the fact that I have to say goodbye real.

Futaba: Look, this is the last time you’re gonna be able to see him for who knows how long. You’re gonna regret it if you don’t see him.

Sumire: You’re right… I just don’t know what to do or say…

Futaba: Just do anything. He wants to see you so just go to him.

Sumire: I’ll do that. Thanks, Futaba-senpai!

Futaba: Thank Mona. He’s the one who told me what to say. I wouldn’t know where to begin. And I told you to stop calling me senpai!

Sumire giggled and opened her IMs from Ren.

Ren: Are you busy? I want to see you.

Ren: I’ve already talked to everyone else. You’re the only person I still want to see before tomorrow.

Ren: Can you come to Leblanc?

Sumire: Of course! Let me get myself together and I’ll be right over.

Throwing her phone onto her bed, Sumire moved to her closet, taking out the purple dress she had picked out while shopping with Ren. After she changed, she picked up a small box from her desk. She picked up the small box containing her gift to Ren and placed it into her bag, before tying up her hair with her red ribbon and leaving for Leblanc.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Senpai? Are you here?” Sumire asked as she entered the café.

“There you are. I was hoping to go around saying my goodbyes with you, but you weren’t in our usual meeting spot.” Ren replied, coming out of the kitchen.

“I’m sorry… I wasn’t mentally prepared to see you. To be honest, I still don’t feel ready to say goodbye… but I know I need to, so ready or not, here I am.”

Ren gave her a hug and a peck on the lips before returning to the curry pot. “You’re here now, and that’s enough for me. Are you hungry? This curry I’m making will be ready soon.”

“Are you sure you made enough?”

“You can eat as much as you want. I’ll be fine.”

Sumire frowned. “Ren, you need to eat more. It’s unhealthy to eat as little as you do.”

“You worry too much. I eat plenty. It’s just about done.” Ren grabbed two plates and scooped some curry onto them. Sumire noticed that the portion on her plate was noticeably larger than his.

“Senpai! Eat more! Please? So, I can stop worrying about you so much.”

“Alright. You win, Sumi.” Ren scooped more curry onto his own plate before sitting at the bar next to her. The pair ate in comfortable silence.

Once they had both finished eating, Sumire broke the silence. “Um… Senpai. I have something that I want to give you. Well, a couple of things actually. Something to remember me by…”

“You didn’t have to get me anything. I couldn’t possibly forget you.”

“I still wanted to get you something. It’s the least I could do to repay you for all you’ve done. I bought these for us.” She reached into her bag and pulled out the small box. Ren took it from her and opened it. Inside were a pair of matching silver lockets. The locket on the left had Ren’s initials engraved into it, while Sumire’s were engraved into other. He picked up the one with his name and examined it.

“It’s beautiful…”

“Open it, Senpai.”

Ren opened the locket and looked at the picture inside. It was a picture of herself that her coach had taken at practice. She was standing on her toe with her right leg in the air, bent at the knee, her foot near the back of her head. Her ribbon was held aloft, spinning around her.

“I wanted to give you something to remember me by. Something that you could keep with you and look at anytime you wanted to see me. And I went with that picture so when you looked at it, it would remind you of just how far I’ve come thanks to you. What do you think?”

Ren stared at the picture for a moment with a small smile on his face before closing the locket and putting it around his neck. “I love it. Thank you, Sumi.”

“Now that you have it, even though we won’t see each other for a while, you won’t forget about me!”

“I don’t need anything to prevent me from forgetting you. You’re too important to me. I’m guessing that the other locket is for you, then? What picture did you put in there? Probably one of me, right?” Ren reached for the other locket, but Sumire snatched it up before he could grab it.

“That’s my little secret, Senpai.” Sumire winked. Her locket contained a picture of him while he was asleep that she had taken before he woke up the morning after White Day, but she wasn’t sure how he would react to it. “There’s one more thing I wanted to give you.” She reached up and untied her ribbon. “I want you to have this. Having this with me helped me keep going even when things seemed impossible. You’ve said that things are going to be hard back home, so I thought you could use something like that.”

“But isn’t this one of Kasumi’s ribbons? Are you sure you want to give this to me?”

“That’s right, it was Kasumi’s, so that means you have to take really good care of it. You can’t lose it!”

“I’ll keep it safe.” Ren stood up, walked behind her chair, gave her a hug from behind and began whispering in her ear. “No matter how far away I am, I’ll always love you. Once I finish school, I’m gonna come back. You don’t need to worry about that.”

Sumire said nothing, but sighed happily as the bell at the door rang. They turned toward the sound and saw Takuto Maruki standing in the doorway.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Dr. Maruki?” Sumire asked.

“Why are _you_ here?” Ren moved slightly between Sumire and Maruki as he asked the question.

Maruki held up his hands. “Don’t worry, I’m only here to talk. Besides, it’s not like I could do anything even if I wanted to.”

“Then, what do you want?”

“I heard that you were leaving tomorrow, Amamiya-kun and I realized that it was my last chance to thank you. I wanted to talk to you as well, Yoshizawa-san, so I’m glad you’re here. Do you mind?”

“Fine. Just make it quick. Do you want to sit down?” Ren said coldly, gesturing to a booth. The three of them moved into a booth with Ren and Sumire on one side and Maruki on the other. “What exactly is it that you wanted to say?”

“Like I said, I came here to thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I understand if you don’t want to see me, or if you haven’t forgiven me for what happened a few months ago… but I felt like I needed to thank you. You showed me that even though things may seem impossible, you can find the strength to keep moving forward. Thank you for showing me a new way to live.” Maruki said sincerely.

Ren’s expression softened slightly. “You’re welcome. I still haven’t forgiven you for what you put us through… I don’t know if I ever truly will. But even still, I’m glad I could help you.”

Once Ren finished speaking, Maruki turned to Sumire. “Now, for the other thing I wanted to talk about. I’m so sorry for what I did to you, Yoshizawa-san.”

Sumire was taken aback, of everything she thought he was about to say, an apology wasn’t what she was expecting. “What are you apologizing for, Dr. Maruki?”

“For using your pain to further my research. You came to me in a moment of weakness looking for help and I didn’t do that. Instead of helping you come to terms with your pain so you could deal with your trauma in a healthy way, I encouraged you to run away. What’s worse is that even once you decided that you no longer wanted that, I continued trying to force it on you. I’ve failed you as your counselor. I should have done more for you… Amamiya-kun proved to be a much more capable at helping you than I was.” Maruki chuckled sheepishly.

“Dr. Maruki… you don’t need to apologize. I know you think that you failed me, but that isn’t true. You may not have helped me in the traditional sense, but it’s thanks to you that I was able to meet Ren. Without becoming Kasumi, I never would have had the courage to talk to him. You helped me meet the love of my life. I feel like I should be thanking you.”

Maruki chuckled. “That’s one way of thinking of it, I suppose. I’ve said all I wanted to, so I should probably get going and leave you two alone.” He rose and walked to the door.

Ren spoke up as Maruki was about to leave. “Maruki, before you go I want to ask you something. Now that you’ve lost your powers, what happens to everyone that you actualized? Specifically, anyone you used your power on before Christmas Eve?”

“You’re talking about Rumi, aren’t you?”

Ren nodded.

“To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. Her actualization wasn’t done inside of my reality, so it may have remained intact, but I really have no way of knowing.”

“Maybe you should find out. If the actualization was broken, she could probably use your help.”

Maruki sighed. “I don’t know, Amamiya-kun. I already failed her, I’m not sure if it’s right for me to help her after everything…”

“Dr. Maruki, you said that you wished you had done more for me. But I’m much better off than I was when I first came to you, so I don’t need your help anymore. There are still a lot of people out there who do, people like Rumi. Don’t let this chance pass you by.”

“You’re right. I need to atone for my mistakes. I need to find Rumi and help her. The right way this time. Thank you both.” Maruki bowed before leaving the café.

“Good luck!” Sumire called after him.

“I hope he’s able to keep on helping people. If you ignore the whole trying to rewrite reality thing, he’s good counselor.”

“Have you really not forgiven him?”

“Not really, no. I know he was just doing what he thought was right, but like I said, I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him for what he did to you.”

“For making me think I was Kasumi?” She asked quizzically.

“Yeah… you say that you think of that as something that helped you, and that’s fine, but continuing to try to force it on you even after you resolved to live your life as Sumire. All I could see was him trying to turn the girl I love into someone else. You’re the reason I kept fighting. Because I couldn’t let that happen to you.”

Sumire laid her hand onto his. “Thank you. And you don’t need to worry about me becoming someone else anymore. The only person I want to be is myself, Sumire Amamiya!”

Ren laughed lightly before looking at her with a raised eyebrow. “We’ve talked about this, Sumi. It’s a little early for you to be taking my last name.

Sumire felt her face heating up. “W-what did I say?”

“You said you were ‘Sumire Amamiya.’ I’m flattered by the marriage proposal, but you need to work on it some. You asked a few years before either of us are ready for marriage, and the delivery came off as more of a demand than a proposal.”

“Ugh, stop teasing me Senpai! It was just a slip of the tongue!” Her face was rapidly approaching the color of her hair.

“Does that mean you didn’t mean it? Or maybe you want me to take your name instead? How does ‘Ren Yoshizawa’ sound to you?”

Sumire blushed so hard she thought all the blood in her body had rushed to her face and made a high-pitched squeaking sound.

“You’re so damn cute. You look like a strawberry when you get like this. An adorable strawberry.” Ren put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close, kissing her on the top of her head. “I love you.”

Sumire huffed and pouted, but leaned into his embrace and rested her head on his shoulder. “I love you, too.” She mumbled.

They sat together, relaxing and talking idly until it got late and went off to bed.

**March 20th**

Sumire awoke to see Ren gazing at her, one arm tightly wrapped around her and the other gently stroking her hair.

“Morning, beautiful.”

“Good morning, Senpai. How long have you been awake?” She asked as she snuggled closer to him.

“I’ve been up for a while. But it’s fine, I’ve spent the time admiring you. You’re really cute when you’re sleeping.”

“Senpai! I can’t deal with your teasing this early!”

“All right, I’ll give you a break. We should probably get ready anyway.”

Sumire quickly grabbed Ren before he could leave the bed. “Can we just… stay like this for a little while longer? Since it’s the last time we’ll be able to do this for a while.”

“I think we can do that.”

“Thanks, Senpai. I’m sorry for being so needy and selfish… I just want to enjoy my last bit of time with you.”

Ren kissed her forehead. “You don’t need to apologize, Sumi. I like it when you’re selfish. You know you’re the most important person to me, right? Nothing matters more to me than you. So, you don’t need to worry about being needy with me. If you ever feel lonely or need to talk, don’t hesitate to call me. I may not be with you in person, but I’ll always be there for you.”

“I won’t. Thanks for saying that. I’m ready to go now if you are.”

“You sure? I think we can afford a few more minutes if you want to.”

“I’ll be fine. We don’t want you to miss your train.” Sumire said as she got out of the bed.

“Yeah, that would be just awful, wouldn’t it?” Ren replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“The worst.” Sumire laughed.

After they had gotten ready, they went down into the café where Sojiro was preparing to open the shop and Morgana sat on a barstool.

“Finally, if you two took any longer, I was going to have to drag you down here myself.” Morgana said.

“Like you could, cat.” Ren joked.

“Hey, I am _not_ a cat!” Morgana shouted.

“You’ll get over that denial eventually, buddy. Hey Boss, where’s Futaba?”

“She’s around. I think she planned to meet you before you left Yongen, but I’m not sure.” Sojiro responded.

“All right then. We should get going before we’re any later.” Ren opened his bag for Morgana to hop in before stopping and pulling out a small notebook. “I guess I should probably give you this.” He said, handing the book to Sojiro.

“Oh yeah, I forgot about this. Heh, the journal belonging to the leader of the Phantom Thieves. This might be worth a lot someday.”

“Want me to sign it for you? That’ll really let you rake it in. Just so you know, if you publish it I expect royalties.”

“Sure, kid. Now get going.”

“See ya.” Ren waved as he left the café.

“Bye, Sakura-san!” Sumire called as she followed Ren out. As she turned back, she saw Sojiro wipe a tear from his eye and wave to her.

The trio chatted idly while they approached the Yongen station and rode the train into Shibuya. Once they arrived, Ren tried to figure out where they needed to go until a few voices called out to them.

“Hey, you guys!”

“Over here!”

Following the sound of the voices, they saw the rest of the former Phantom Thieves standing around a blue van.

“I guess that’s for us.” Sumire giggled.

“We figured we’d give you a ride to the station.” Futaba said once they reached them.

“I said we should just drive ya all the way back home, but Makoto shot that idea down.” Ryuji said.

“We don’t have time to drive him halfway across the country and then come back. If we did, then I’d be willing to drive him, but we don’t.” Makoto retorted.

“Let’s leave the arguing and get going.” Haru said, soothingly.

The group piled into the car and drove off. They talked and joked throughout the ride, things being taken a little far when Yusuke said he was getting out and opened the car door. Eventually, Makoto pulled into the station and they climbed out.

Ren turned to face the group once they had all left the car. “Thanks everyone. Since this is the last time we’ll all be together for a while, there’s something I need to tell you all. A year ago, I had no one. My friends, my family, everyone turned on me after I got arrested. I had decided that I’d just go through this year flying under the radar by myself. But then I met you guys, and suddenly, I had people who were willing to stick by me no matter what. You showed me what true friendship should be. You guys are more than just my best friends… you’re my family.”

Ren gave each person a hug and said something to them individually, quiet enough so that only they could hear. After saying their goodbyes, the others went to get back into the van.

“Sumire, do you want a ride back with us?” Makoto asked.

“No, I’m gonna go see Ren off at the platform then need to go get ready for practice.”

Makoto nodded before driving off and the remaining three went into the station, waiting on the platform for the train to arrive.

Ren sighed. “Well, here we are… I wish I could stay.”

“Me too…” She slipped her hand into his. “But it’ll be okay. It won’t be that long before we see each other again!” Sumire smiled, struggling to keep a brave face.

“You’re right. It’ll only be a year.” Just then, a train rolled to a stop. “This is it…”

Ren turned to face her, placed a hand on her cheek and kissed her.

“I love you, my beautiful Violet.”

“I love you too, Joker-senpai.”

They both laughed and as Ren boarded the train, he turned back to her and waved. Sumire watched and waited as the train disappeared into the distance, a sad smile on her face. Her phone vibrated as she went to leave.

 _Ren:_ I miss you already.

 _Sumire:_ I do too.

 _Ren:_ It’s gonna be a long year if we’re talking like this after only five minutes.

 _Sumire:_ We can make it. We’re strong enough.

 _Ren:_ Yeah.

 _Ren:_ Now I know you have practice, so stop texting me and get going.

Sumire laughed as she wiped away a tear.

“Until we meet again, Senpai.” She whispered to herself, looking down the tracks the train had gone down. Sumire reached into her bag and pulled out a ribbon. After tying up her hair, Sumire Yoshizawa left the station, ready to face the world with her head held high.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading this story! Every comment, kudo and even just knowing people were reading it meant a lot to me. I am planning on writing more Shusumi fics starting with a continuation of this story that I'm really excited for. I'll try to have that up in a week or so, so stay tuned for that!


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